Copper Mountain College men’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker on the road to the number four ranked team in the state, Fullerton College, Wednesday night 74-72.
This game lived up to the hype. Two heavyweights took the court in Orange County and it was a slugfest that came down to the last possession. In the first half, CMC drew first blood and jumped out to an early 13-point lead. The Hornets of Fullerton came flying back and went into the half with a 36-33 lead.
The second half was even more intense, as both teams battled tooth and nail, resulting in several lead changes. After a couple of miscues down the stretch, the Fighting Cacti let a 7-point lead slip away with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Isiah Blackmon’s baseline floater came up just short on the last possession of the game and Copper Mountain College fell 74-72. Murshid Randle led CMC in scoring with 25 points. Jaleel Simmons added 18 points and Isiah Blackmon chipped in 10 points.
Copper Mountain College falls to 16-6 on the season and 3-2 in the Orange Empire Conference. Next up for CMC is Orange Coast College next Wednesday, January 24, in Costa Mesa. Tip-off is at 5 p.m.
The Fighting Cacti women’s basketball team went on the road for a conference game Wednesday night versus Fullerton College, and lost by a score of 90-33.
Coach Hosie Ward said despite having only six players in uniform, and with two of those players fighting through minor injuries, they fought hard to the very end. Courtney Stanford led with 15 points. Tusitusia Brown added eight points, 13 rebounds, and seven blocks.
The women’s next game is Friday night at the Bell Center versus Santa Ana College.
COPPER MOUNTAIN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
