Rio Hondo College faced its second straight opponent ranked among the state's top 10 and once again, the Roadrunners came up just short. Coming off a narrow 57-53 loss to No. 7 Pasadena City College on Wednesday, Rio Hondo was edged on Friday, falling 70-64 at No. 5 Los Angeles Trade Tech College in a game much closer than the final score indicates.
The Roadrunners led 41-39 at halftime thanks to 12 points from freshman Amanda Lee. LA Trade Tech was up by one point, 53-52 heading into the final quarter.
The two teams battled for control in the fourth. Rio Hondo led 54-53 with 7:51 to play after a layup by Christina Hilton. But Trade Tech responded with a 6-0 run that put the Beavers ahead for good.
Lee's jumper with 1:32 remaining got the Roadrunners within two points, 66-64. But Trade Tech got a layup from Lexus Ray and converted a pair of free throws down the stretch to seal its win.
Hilton had a good all-around night for the Roadrunners in the loss. She posted a team-high 20 points to go with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Amy Navarro earned a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds while Candace Black and Lee ended the game with 14 points each.
The loss dropped Rio Hondo to 13-9 overall and 0-2 in South Coast Conference North Division play. The Roadrunners will look to get back on track on Wednesday (Jan. 30) when they host Chaffey College in a 7 p.m. SCC North game.