Fullerton Defeats Cypress With Second-Half Burst

Sophomore guards Erick Ashe and Ben Sanders each scored 19 points as Fullerton pulled away from host Cypress in the second half to win, 84-69, in the Orange Empire Conference men’s basketball opener Wednesday.

Fullerton led at the half, 38-36, but outscored Cypress in the first five minutes of the second half, 13-4. Ashe had the last seven points of the run.

Ashe scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half and Sanders had 13 of his 19 in the first half.

“We really focused on the first five minutes of the second half,” Fullerton Coach Dieter Horton said. “Our kids came out and played hard.”

Edwin Charles had 14 points, Matt Halverson had 13 and Nick Bates 11 for Fullerton (13-4, 1-0). Bates, who recently returned to the lineup, has been bothered by a pinched nerve in his lower back.

Cypress (9-9, 0-1) struggled, especially with free throws. The Chargers were in the bonus for the final 10 minutes of the second half but missed eight in a row at one point.