PUNCHING THE STATE TICKET!

For the 18th time in the program's history, the No. 1 seeded FC men's basketball team is headed to the State Tournament after holding off No. 8 San Diego City College 77-74.  

Now with a ticket to the big dance, Fullerton heads into the tournament that promises to be loaded with the top talent in the state. Teams punching their ticket to the big dance are: North - San Jose, West Valley, San Francisco, and Sequoias - South - East LA, Citrus, San Bernardino Valley, and Fullerton. 

From the opening tipoff the Hornets and Knights mixed it up with physical plays under the basket, while hitting deep shots from beyond the arc. With 9 ties and 10 lead changes, the game was a drag race with both teams heading to the finish line neck and neck. With a 1:30 left in the first half, San Diego and Fullerton were knotted up 33-33. A jumper by Javon Jones and a three-pointer on the next possession gave FC some breathing room at 38-33. The Knight's Al Green scored on a layup as time expired cutting FC's lead to 38-35 by the halftime break.  

The second half mirrored the first as both the Hornets and Knights matched each other point for point. With FC down 65-64 at the 5-minute mark, Sammy Howlin scored down low on a put-back giving the Hornets a one-point lead. From there, Fullerton went on a 9-5 mini-run that put the team up 75-69 with 1:44 left in regulation. Just when it looked as if the Hornets would close out the game, San Diego forced its way back in it. Al Green knocked down a deep three-pointer making it a two-point game (76-74) with 20 seconds left, but excellent defense, solid free throw shooting, and a big rebound by Jeremiah Davis closed the door on the Knight's season. 

The scoring leader for Fullerton was Sean Newman Jr. with 17 points. Javon Jones added 14 points, while Shaquil Bender and Jeremiah Davis both contributed 12. 

Up Next: The No. 1 Hornets (29-1 overall) travel north to West Hills College, Lemoore where they will play in the State Championship Tournament. The four best teams from the south and the four best from the north will mix it up on Thursday, March 9th, Saturday the 11th, and Sunday the 12th. FC will open up against West Valley College on Thursday, March 9th at 3:00 pm.

The State Championship Bracket