Orange Coast College

Men's Basketball: Pirates watch Hornets come alive in second half

Thursday, January 22, 2009

FULLERTON -- A hard-fought first half of basketball was lost in the second half as the Orange Coast College men's basketball team fell to Fullerton, 79-64, on Wednesday at Fullerton College's Hornets' Nest.

After holding the Hornets to just 25.7 pecent from the floor (9-of-35), the Pirates watched Fullerton hit 21-of-33 from the floor (63.6 percent) in the second half, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. Fullerton outscored Coast 54-40 in the second half to take control of the game.

Eric Williams and Chris Curtis each had 15 points for the Pirates (8-15, 1-3 in Orange Empire Conference), while Martin Whitmore added 12.

Tenacious Gibson came off the bench to lead the Hornets (12-8, 4-0) with 16 points, while fellow nonstarter Ahmaad Cood added 14 points. Trei Brewer posted a double-double for Fullerton, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

OCC was outrebounded 48-28 by the Hornets, giving the hosts a 15-0 advantage in second-chance points.

The Pirates return to action on Friday at home against Riverside, beginning at 7:30 p.m.