SHIELDED FROM LASERS

The No. 19 Fullerton College Hornets battled it out at Irvine Valley College on Friday night and got past the Lasers 60-48.

Both the Hornets and Lasers came into the game locked in a second-place tie in the Orange Empire Conference, but Fullerton managed to push ahead in the second half for the much-needed win. FC is now 16-5 overall with a 4-1 record in the OEC, while IVC drops to 11-10 overall and is now 3-2 in conference.

The Hornets opened the game with a 12-4 run putting the Lasers on notice. A three-pointer by Jimena Solorio and a layup by Hailey Lakey wrapped up the first quarter with FC up 17-9. IVC came screaming back in the second quarter out-shooting Fullerton 17-9. The halftime buzzer sounded and both teams went to their locker rooms tied 26-26.

Kaylee Shimoda dropped a three-pointer on the Lasers and Lakey scored on a nice drive to the basket finishing a 16-2 run that put FC up 42-28 by the 5-miniute mark of the third quarter. 

In the fourth, Fullerton pressed ahead 54-41 thanks to a jumper by Xochitl Hood with less than 3 minutes left in regulation. Juliana Conklin dropped the mic knocking down a deep three-pointer to finish the game.

The Hornets shot 46% compared to IVC's 24.1% and scored 16 points from the bench to the Laser's 6 points.

Four FC players scored in double-digits in Hailey Lakey (12), Erin Choi (11), Kaylee Shimoda (10), and Jimena Solorio (10). Amya Iannone scored 7 points and Julianna Conklin dropped in 6 for the win. 

Up Next: The No. 19 Hornets (16-5 overall, 4-1 OEC) welcomes district and conference rival Cypress College (14-7, 3-2) to the Nest on Wednesday, January 29th for an Orange Empire Conference showdown at 5:00 pm. Come out and cheer for your Hornets for this big game.