Gritty effort by Pirates comes up short in loss to Hornets
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fullerton (15-8, 4-4) | 25 | 36 | 61 |
|
Orange Coast (3-19, 0-7) | 21 | 34 | 55 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball pushed always-tough Fullerton College to the limit on Wednesday night, but in the end, the Pirates came up on the wrong end of a 61-55 Orange Empire Conference decision on Wednesday night inside the Peterson Gym.
The upset-minded Pirates (3-19, 0-7 in OEC) trailed by just two points in the game's final seconds against the Hornets (15-8, 4-4) and had the ball, but missed their opportunity to tie the game down low. Fullerton rebounded and proceeded to hit four straight free throws to close the game out.
In fact, the charity stripe was not too kind to the hosts as they shot 14-of-26 from the line, while the Hornets cashed in on 21-of-27.
Kelcie Mayott led the Pirates with 17 points and four blocks, while Jasmine Matar added 14 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.
For the Hornets, Noelle Cobb controlled the game with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Xochitl Nava contributed a double-double of her own with 14 points and 11 boards.
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm in the first half as fouls and turnovers were the theme of the opening 20 minutes. Despite the struggles, the Pirates hung tough and trailed by four at the break, 25-21.
Over the first seven minutes of the second half, Coast outscored Fullerton 11-6 and led for the first time in the game at 32-31, courtesy of a 3-pointer by Michelle Obong.
Coast led 43-42 with just under six minutes remaining when Fullerton turned things up and used an 11-4 run to jump back out in front, 53-47, with 4:16 left.
A pair of made Matar free throws with 33 seconds left got the Pirates to within a point at 56-55, but Coast could not get back to level par against the Hornets the rest of the night.
OCC will return to action on Friday at home against Riverside City College, beginning at 7 p.m.
