TIGERS TAKE DOWN HORNETS

The No. 2 FC men's basketball team took its first conference loss at home against No. 13 Riverside City College Tuesday night 66-55.

It was a stinging loss for Fullerton as the team took its first blemish while trying to finish out the season with an OEC title. The Hornet's schedule will not be any easier as they face an obstacle course of strong opponents in the coming days. Tonight's loss puts Fullerton at 20-2 overall and 10-1 in the OEC, while the RCC win them up to 19-6 overall and 12-2 in the OEC. The Tigers have been on a hot streak lately beating No. 5 Santiago Canyon College last Friday 82-72. They are currently on a nine-game win streak.

A physical game, Fullerton and Riverside matched one another shot for shot in the first half, but the Tigers began to pulled away near the end snatching a 38-33 lead with 28 seconds left. FC's Kobe Newton cut the RCC lead 38-36 on a deep 3-point shot just before the halftime buzzer sounded.

FC's Tristan Williams tied quickly tied the game up 38-38 in the opening seconds of the second half. In the 16th minute, Ronnie Stapp put the Hornets up 43-41 on a 3-pointer. That would be the only time Fullerton led in the half as the Tigers forged ahead with a 16-6 run (59-47) by the 6 minute mark. Fullerton did its best to make a run using a full court press, but the damage had already been done.

Tristan Williams led the Hornets with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Ronnie Stapp followed with 10 points. 

Up Next: The Hornets (21-1 overall, 11-0 OEC) get back on the road against another tough OEC opponent in No. 33 Saddleback College on Thursday, February 17th at 5:00 pm.