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FULLERTON SQUEEZED BY ORANGE COAST

FULLERTON SQUEEZED BY ORANGE COAST

In a big home game Wednesday night, No. 19 in state Fullerton took on No. 2 Orange Coast College in a battle for first place in the Orange Empire Conference and fell to the Pirates 82-59.

Both the Hornets and Pirates moved up a notch in the 3C2A state rankings this week with Fullerton bumping up to No. 19 and Orange Coast to the No. 2 spot. The FC loss breaks up a four-game wins streak and gives the team its first OEC loss at 3-1. FC now has an overall record of 15-5, while OCC takes sole possession of first place in conference with an undefeated record of 4-0 loss with an overall record of 17-3.

The Hornets showed a lot of fight in the first half after coming back from a 10-2 deficit in the opening minutes. With 44 seconds left in the first quarter, Brittlay Carillo found a lane for a layup to take a 14-13 lead over the Pirates. A pair of free throws by OCC's Myia Collins game Orange Coast a slight 15-14 edge by the quarter's end. Fullerton hung around with the Pirates throughout most of the second quarter, until Alyssa Dreesen's jumper with a over a minute left gave OCC a 32-24 lead. By halftime, Fullerton was down 32-25.

OCC's Alyssa Dreesen was nearly unstoppable in the second half as she went on to score 18 of her game-high 30 points. Without an answer for Dreesen, the Hornets fell behind 57-35 by the end of the third quarter. A pair of three-pointers late in the fourth by Jimena Solorio and Erin Choi got the Fullerton fans back on their feet, but it was not enough to mount a comeback against the back-to-back state champion Pirates.

Erin Choi led the Hornets in scoring with 16 points with 7 rebounds, Xochitl Hood scored 12 with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Brittlay Carillo put up 9 points with 4 rebounds. Julianna Conkiln and Jimena Solorio both contributed 8 points in the loss.  

Up Next: The No. 19 Hornets (15-5 overall, 3-1 OEC) will take a trip down to Irvine Valley College this Friday, January 24th for another Orange Empire Conference matchup. Tipoff is at 5:00 pm.