LASER BATTLE WITH IVC

The No. 2 Hornets opened Orange Empire Conference-play with a hard-fought 61-47 win over No. 29 Irvine Valley College at home Wednesday night.

The victory puts the Hornets at 1-0 in the OEC as they take their first step toward a potential conference four-peat. Overall, the Fullerton moves to 12-1, while Irvine Valley drops to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in the OEC.

It was not an easy win as Irvine Valley kept pace with the Hornets with tough defense and all-out hustle. Fullerton only shot 36% from the floor in the first half, while IVC shot 37% as both teams ran the hardwood to a 26-26 first-half tie.

The Lasers and Hornets continued to match one another shot for shot deep into the second half. Tied 32-32 by the 13th minute, the Hornets made their move going on a 7-0 run that gave the team some needed space thanks to a tip-in finish by Darvelle Wyatt. Relentless, the Lasers had worked their way back into the game at 44-42 by the 7-minute mark, but a couple daggering three-pointers by Justin Davis and Addy G'Bye put FC up 50-42 with just under 5 minutes left in regulation. Scrambling for open shots, the Lasers could not hit the mark as Fullerton's defense did its job. G'bye hit another three with a minute left to help finish off the game.

Addy G'Bye led the Hornets in scoring with 11 points, while adding 6 boards. Jaqari Miles dropped in 10 points with 4 assists and 2 steals. JQ Strong and Kairi Shepherd both chipped in with 7 points each. Darvelle Wyatt scored 6 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Up Next: No. 2 in state Fullerton (12-1 overall, 1-0 OEC) will host another OEC game to wrap up 2024 this Friday, December 20th when Santa Ana College (10-4 overall, 0-1 OEC) comes to the Nest for a 7:00 pm matchup. Come out and support the team! Can't make the game? Watch it live and free here!

*Photo by Matt Brown