Dreessen's 30 points propel Pirates past Hornets

FULLERTON -- Alyssa Dreessen got the ball early and often and the sophomore forward came through with 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Orange Coast College women's basketball team to an 82-59 Orange Empire Conference win over Fullerton College on Wednesday night inside the Hornets' Nest.

Dreessen made 13-of-26 from the floor and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line for her season-high 30-point performance. 

Myia Collins added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the back-to-back state champs (17-3, 4-0 in the OEC), while Melaiah Joseph added 10 points and six rebounds.

For the Hornets (15-5, 3-1), Erin Choi led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Xochitl Hood added 12 points and eight boards.

Coast jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the first quarter, but the Hornets quickly regrouped and grabbed a 14-13 lead (FC's lone advantage of the game) before a pair of Collins made free throws gave OCC a 15-14 advantage after the opening 10 minutes.

Both teams traded jabs in the second quarter before an OCC mini-run down the stretch gave the Pirates a 32-25 advantage at the half.

A 10-2 Pirate start to the third quarter helped give Coast a 15-point advantage at 42-29 and the the lead grew from there. By the time the third quarter ended, OCC carried a 57-35 advantage into the fourth.

The Hornets, who were held to just 10 points in the entire third quarter, came out red hot in the fourth and got to within 14 nearly midway through the final 10 minutes of play, but a Xio Cardona 3-pointer pushed the lead backed up to 17 and the FC momentum vanished the rest of the game.

Coast forced 18 Fullerton turnovers and outscored the Hornets 46-30 down low. 

The Pirates will return to action on Friday at Santa Ana College, before returning to the Peterson Gym on Wednesday against Irvine Valley. Both games will begin at 5 p.m.