Saddleback got a standout performance from SF Marques Crane and used some stifling defense to rally past Fullerton, 67-56, at the Hornets' Nest. Crane tossed in 30 pts and grabbed 10 rebs to lead the Gauchos, who notched their 20th win of the season.
Fullerton lead by 3 at the half behind a strong first-half performance from C Joe Travis, who scored 14 pts before intermission. But the second half was a shooting nightmare for the Hornets, and Travis was held to just 4 second-half points. For the second half, Fullerton shot just 19% from the field, and Travis combined with SF Kevin Turner and PG Donyare Mayfield to go 1-for-20. Travis did finish with a game-high 12 rebs.
Saddleback was led by Crane, but no other Gaucho hit double figures in scoring. PG Mark Brown had a tough night shooting, going 2 of 12 for just 6 pts though he had 7 rebs and 7 asts. Reserve G Brandon Sievers nailed 3 threes, and his 9 pts were second-best for Saddleback. But it was the defense that made the difference, as Saddleback blocked 9 shots and held Fullerton to 33% FG shooting on the night.
Unofficial Box Score:
Friday, January 25, 2001
at The Hornets Nest, Fullerton
Orange Empire Conference
Saddleback Gauchos 67:
34-Andre Hardwick, PF - 3/6 fg, 3 reb, 1 blk, 6 pts
33-Kevin Williams, C - 3/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 7 pts
21-Marques Crane, SF - 8/15 fg, 11/12 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl, 30 pts
11-Gerome Templeton, SG - 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pt
15-Mark Brown, PG - 2/12 fg, 2/3 ft, 7 reb, 7 ast, 1 blk, 6 pts
31-Chad Bigler, F - 2/4 fg, 3 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 5 pts
25-Justin Griffin, G - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 0 pts
24-Chase Peterson, C - 1/3 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 3 pts
23-Chris Dean, F - 3 reb, 0 pts
13-Brandon Sievers, G - 3/7 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 9 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 22/54 fg (.407), 16/21 ft (.762), 43 reb, 15 ast, 9 blk, 4 stl, 67 pts
3-pt fg (7): Crane 3, Sievers 3, Bigler
Turnovers (16): Williams 6, Brown 4, Crane 2, Bigler 2, Hardwick, Templeton
Fullerton Hornets 56:
34-Nathan Dowd, PF - 3/7 fg, 1/7 ft, 6 reb, 2 stl, 7 pts
2-Joe Travis, C - 8/20 fg, 2/3 ft, 12 reb, 1 blk, 18 pts
21-Allan Purnell, SG - 4/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 10 pts
4-Donyare Mayfield, PG - 2/10 fg, 6/6 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 11 pts
22-Kevin Turner, SF - 2/13 fg, 5/7 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl, 9 pts
10-Andreas Gahlmann, F - 0/1 fg, 1/3 ft, 1 pt
1-Alex Raco, G - 1 reb, 2 ast, 0 pts
32-Teddy Sincire, F - 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 19/58 fg (.327), 16/28 ft (.571), 32 reb, 10 ast, 3 blk, 10 stl, 56 pts
3-pt fg (2): Purnell, Mayfield
Turnovers (10): Turner 5, Dowd, Travis, Mayfield, Sincire, team
Halftime Score: Fullerton 32, Saddleback 29
Updated Records: Saddleback 20-3, 6-0 in conference. Fullerton 12-9, 4-2 in conference.
Saddleback played some excellent defense, forcing Fullerton to miss 14 of their first 15 shots in the 2nd half. That allowed Saddleback to rally and take a 54-44 lead with 8 mins left, and the lead was never less than 7 after that. For the 2nd half, Fullerton shot 19% (6-31) from the floor, with Turner, Mayfield and Travis combining for 1-20.
