HORNETS HANG ON VS. HUSKIES

The No. 3 Hornets took a trip to East Los Angeles College on Thursday night and escaped the bite of the Huskies with a narrow 70-69 win.

It was a good non-conference victory for Fullerton, which heads into Orange Empire Conference-play next week sporting a 9-2 record. The East LA defeat pushes the team to 3-5 overall.

The Hornets jumped out to an 18-10 first-half lead thanks to a deep three by Jaden Byers 12 minutes in. All was going well for FC by the 5-minute mark as Addy G'bye drained a three giving his team a healthy 11 point lead. As the last second ticked off the clock to wrap up the first half, East LA's Daniel Michelin-Jackson forced in a layup cutting Fullerton's lead to 6 (41-35) by halftime.

The Hornets averaged a decent 6-point lead through the first part of the second half, but the Huskies had other plans. ELAC's Javion Langston tied the game up 53-53 at 7:16 and the war was on as both teams slugged it out shot for shot. A bucket by Michelin-Jackson put the Huskies up 62-59, but two jumpers by Jeremiah Davis erased the deficit and gave FC a 63-62 edge with just over 2 minutes left in the game. Davis game FC some breathing room after hitting a pair of free throws with 9 seconds on the clock at 70-67. With one play left to score, the Hornet defense kept the Huskies from hitting an open three. Relegated to a two-point shot Jalai Okieth drained the final basket as the final second cleared the clock. 

Jeremiah Davis had a game-high 18 points along with 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Jaden Byers followed with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Amound Anderson II scored 8 points, had 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Alex Archer contributed 7 points as did Christian Watson.

Up Next: The No. 3 Hornets (9-3 overall) will host the Orange Empire Conference opener on Tuesday, December 19th when Golden West comes to the Nest at 6:00 pm.

*Photo by Jim McCormack