Women's basketball team wins fourth straight, beats Fullerton

Courtesy of Toni Lavacot
Courtesy of Toni Lavacot

Irvine Valley's women's basketball team continued its hot streak.

The Lasers, ranked ninth in the state, won their fourth straight game, beating Fullerton, 54-35, on Friday night on the road.

It was also the third time in the last four games that IVC has held its opponent to 35 points or less.

Irvine Valley improved its record to 17-6 overall and 5-2 in conference. IVC moved into second place by itself with the win.

The Lasers trail first-place Cypress by one game. IVC has a big week coming up, hosting the Chargers on Wednesday at 5 p.m. on homecoming night and then hosting third-place Orange Coast on Friday in its Coaches vs. Cancer event.

IVC's two losses so far in conference have come to Cypress and Orange Coast.

Fullerton's record slipped to 5-14 overall and 1-6 in conference after its lost to IVC on Friday.

The Lasers took control of the game early, going on a 16-1 run. Freshman forward Kasey Smit gave IVC hat lead just 2:15 into the contest.

By the end of the first quarter, Irvine Valley owned a 17-4 advantage.

The Hornets had some fight in the second quarter wih a 8-2 run, but the Lasers still owned a commanding 30-15 lead at the half.

The Lasers outscored Fullerton, 15-4, in the third quarter to put the game away. IVC held a 45-19 lead heading into the final period.

Fullerton had no firepower on offense, shooting 21.1 percent from the floor and a mere 17 percent (4 of 23) from the beyond the three-point arc. Irvine Valley shot 41 percent from the floor and out-scored the Hornets 18-7 on turnovers.

IVC sophomore forward Morgan Bryant led all scorers with 16 points and added seven rebounds. Smit came off the bench to score eight points and brought down eight rebounds. Sophomore forward De'Jerre Scurry chipped in with seven points and four rebounds.

For the Hornets, Monica Hana led the team with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Irvine Valley hosts Cypress Wednesday night at 5 p.m in a battle for first place.