Pirates hold off Hornets for win in OEC home finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fullerton (13-14, 5-6) | 8 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 43 |
|
Orange Coast (19-8, 7-4) | 11 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 54 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team needed a win -- ANY kind of win -- on Wednesday night and the Pirates were able to accomplish their goal with a 54-43 Orange Empire Conference win over visiting Fullerton College inside OCC's Peterson Gym.
The Pirates (19-8, 7-4 in the OEC) needed successful spurts from several key players, while the Coast defense once again was the big hero, clamping down on the Hornets (13-14, 5-6) and holding them to just 26.3% shooting (15-of-57) for the game.
McKenzie Gillman and Melaiah Joseph each scored 12 points to lead the Pirate offense, with Gillman showing grit on the boards with a team-best 10 rebounds. Andrea Rico added eight points and seven rebounds, while Nicole Uballe added six points and three rebounds.
For the Hornets, Erin Choi came up big with 21 points and six assists, but the rest of the FC squad was held to just 20.5% shooting from the floor (8-of-39).
It was another defensive grinder for the Pirates as they outscored the Hornets in each of the first three quarters to take a 37-26 lead. Some inspired play by reserve post, Karley Waite helped push the OCC advantage to 40-26 early in the fourth and that 14-point lead remained (44-30) with 3:48 left in the game.
But, the Hornets used one final push to get back into things, outscoring Coast 11-2 over the next three minutes to pull to within five at 46-41 with 49 seconds remaining. Forcing the Pirates to the free-throw line, Coast stepped up and hit the charity shots when the team needed them the most. OCC hit 11-of-15 from the line in the quarter and never allowed the Hornets to get any closer the rest of the way.
While the Pirate offense is still trying to find its rhythm once again, the defense keeps holding the ship together. For the fourth time in five games, Coast has held its opponent to under 50 points.
With the win, Coast keeps pace with the top teams in the OEC and remains tied with Cypress for third place in the conference standings. OCC wraps up the regular season at Saddleback College on Friday, beginning at 7 p.m.
