No. 10 Hawks Lose at the Buzzer to Top-Ranked Fullerton

The contest was tied at 69-all with under three minutes remaining on Thursday night as the No. 10 Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team hosted the top-ranked Fullerton College Hornets in a battle for the top spot in the conference standings. After two made free throws by Fullerton and a Hawks free throw inside the two-minute mark, Santiago Canyon had one final chance to take the lead on the last possession.

The Hawks trailed by one point inside the final minute and forced a stop with 16 seconds remaining in regulation. Freshman Jacob De Armas nearly sealed the game with a jumper in the paint but narrowly missed. Fullerton failed to secure the rebound as it bounced off a defender's hands, giving the Hawks one last opportunity. De Armas was the primary target once again, but his three-pointer at the buzzer did not fall, resulting in a 71–70 defeat.

It was a tale of two halves, as the Hawks faced a 16-point deficit heading into the locker room. As they have done all season, they leaned on a strong second half and outscored the Hornets by 15 points, but it was not enough to complete the comeback.

Santiago Canyon shot 37.5 percent from the floor, including 34.5 percent from three-point range. They forced 14 Hornet turnovers and converted those into 19 points.

De Armas led the Hawks with 21 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 10 games. It was the first time he surpassed the 20-point mark since the Hawks' victory over San Diego Miramar in mid-December. He also added five assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

Freshman Jayden Oei provided a major spark off the bench, scoring 17 points, all in the second half. He went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and hit several clutch shots down the stretch, including a three-pointer that tied the game at 67-all with under three minutes remaining. It was his best offensive performance since mid-November.

Freshman Paris Lassiter recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, along with a team-high three steals. Freshman Matt Mendias added a crucial 11 points off the bench.