END OF YEAR GAME A HORNET VICTORY

On Thursday night, the No. 5 FC men's basketball team finished 2023 with a 68-61 road-win against Orange Empire Conference rival Santa Ana College.

The FC victory puts the team at 11-3 overall and 2-0 in conference-play, while the Don loss lands them at 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the OEC.

It was not an easy task for the Hornets as Santa Ana was ready to play taking an early 9-1 lead. The Dons kept FC off balance with strong defense holding the Hornets to 9-36 (25%) shooting. Despite the first-half shooting woes, Fullerton managed to keep up with Santa Ana tying it up 30-30 on a jumper by Jeremiah Davis with 3 seconds before the halftime break.

Santa Ana kept the pressure on FC in the second half grabbing a 41-35 advantage at the 16-minute mark from a jump-shot by Mac West. Godfrey Little handed the Hornets their first lead of the game (49-48) at 8:17 off a deep trey. Fullerton pressed ahead holding a small 62-59 edge with a minute left in the game. As seconds ticked off the clock, the Dons had no other choice but to intentionally foul. Jeremiah Davis was clutch knocking down all six of his free throws to ice the game.

Jeremiah Davis had his highest scoring output as a Hornet with a game-high 28 points. He also added 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Godfrey Little put up 15 points, and Addy G'Bye scored 10 with 6 boards. Andrew Pipersburgh led the team in rebounds with 10. 

Up Next: The No. 5 Hornets (11-3 overall, 2-0 OEC) will come back after the new year when they travel down the road to Cypress College on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. Tipoff is at 6:00 pm. Tickets: $5.00 adults - Cash Only - Parking Permits Required on the Cypress College campus.

*Photo by Matt Brown