FULLERTON SECOND HALF SURGE DEFEATS SADDLEBACK

In an Orange Empire Conference game, the No. 3 in state FC men's basketball team took on No. 22 Saddleback College in the Hornets Nest Friday night and pulled off a 65-61 come-from-behind win.

The Fullerton victory lifts the team to a 15-1 record with an undefeated OEC record of 5-0, while the loss gives Saddleback its second of the week (74-70 loss to Irvine Valley) with an overall record of 10-6 and an OEC record of 2-2.

It was an awful first half for the Hornets who came out shooting an ice cold 19% from the floor (4-21). The Bobcats took full advantage of Fullerton's shooting woes (0-9 3-pointers) grabbing a 34-20 lead by the end of the half.

FC came out in the second half refreshed and focused chipping away at the Bobcat lead. The Hornets pushed forward making a 22-8 run to take their first lead of the game. It was Kobe Newton's three-point shot at 11:09 that put Fullerton ahead 44-42. The battle was on as both teams slugged it out, until the 4:32 mark when Ronnie Stapp lifted FC on a three-pointer 59-52. Saddleback got back in it with just over a minute left 63-60 on a layup by Atiba Taylor. With 15 seconds left in the game, Kobe Newton clinched the game at the free throw line hitting both attempts to seal the FC win.

The Hornets had a better second half shooting 54.5% from the floor and 84.2% from beyond the arc.

Four players scored in double digits for Fullerton with Kobe Newton leading the way with 15 points. Chazz Hutchison scored 14 with 12 rebounds, while Tristan Williams and Ronnie Stapp (7 rebounds) put up 12 points. 

Up Next: The Hornets (15-1 overall, 5-0 OEC) will get back to it at home on Monday, January 24th when they face Santa Ana College at 6:00 pm.