Men’s Basketball Edged by Top-Ranked Fullerton

It was the most electric game of the year in the jumping confines of Wheelock Gymnasium as the Riverside City College men's basketball team hosted the top-ranked Fullerton College Hornets in the final week of the regular season. The Tigers held a two point lead with just over two minutes remaining, but the Hornets closed out the game on a 5-0 run to hand them a 78-75 defeat.

RCC trailed by 10 points at halftime and quickly went down 13 points after the Hornets opened second half play with a three ball. Nevertheless, Riverside continued to work in the early stages of the half by eventually trimming the deficit to four points. Sophomore guard Courtland Moffatt flushed two shots at the charity stripe followed by sophomore guard Julian Alvarez laying a ball up off the glass on the ensuing possession to bring the game to that point.

Sophomore forward Reggie Ward made the game even closer nearing the halfway mark by converting an and-one play. Moffatt worked the Tigers to within one point shortly after by hitting two free throws to push the score to 55-54.

With just under eight minutes left, Riverside was able to knot the game up at 61 all by hitting two free throws leading into a timeout. Moffatt laid two points up off the glass to give them a two point lead, but a turnover gave Fullerton possession of the ball despite a massive run down block on the transition from Ward. Nevertheless, a layup from freshman guard Tomi Adesiji turned the game back in Riverside's favor, but the back and forth affair resumed up until the two minute mark.

Moffatt continued to punch his ticket to the charity stripe to maintain a lead at five points in the late stages, but consecutive three balls from Fullerton put the Tigers back in the red. A three point play converted by the Tigers set them up with a two point lead, but another bucket from Fullerton kept the Tigers at bay.

Two consecutive turnovers by the Tigers and a missed three pointer on the final three possessions ended up costing them down the stretch leading to the defeat.

Moffatt finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Ward joined him on the double-double front with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore forward Lynden Paul had one of his best games to memory after dropping 14 points in his first start since late January. It is the first time he landed in double digits since the January win over Santiago Canyon. Additionally, it was his second largest mark of the season.

The Tigers coughed the ball up 17 times and the Hornets converted them into 14 points. They allowed Fullerton to shoot just under 50 percent from downtown as opposed the Tiger's 31.3 percent clip.