Freshman Amanda Lee poured in a season-high 31 points to help lead Rio Hondo College to an impressive 67-64 road win over No. 14 state-ranked Mt. San Jacinto College on Saturday in the blue bracket consolation final of the Crossover Challenge tournament.
The Roadrunners went 2-1 at the tourney. After falling 76-71 in overtime at College of the Canyons in the opener on Jan. 4, Rio Hondo picked up a one-point win (54-53) at Long Beach City College on Wednesday before escaping San Jacinto with the victory.
Rio Hondo overcame a horrid opening quarter that saw the Roadrunners get outscored 21-6. But Rio Hondo responded with a 22-point second quarter to go into halftime trailing Mt. San Jacinto 33-28. The Roadrunners were down 46-42 heading into the final quarter before rallying for the win.
Free throw shooting proved to be huge for the Roadrunners. Rio Hondo made 17 of 20 shots from the line, including a perfect 7-for-7 effort from Lee. Despite getting outrebounded by a 59-35 margin, Rio Hondo took care of the ball on offense and committed just 10 turnovers in the contest.
Lee was 10-for-20 from the field, including 4 three-pointers. She also grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and had 3 steals.
Christina Hilton also had a good game with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Candace Black chipped in with 8 points while Kailey Gutierrez added 7 points.
Rio Hondo, now 13-7 overall, returns to action on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. when the Roadrunners host current No. 9 state-ranked Pasadena City College in their South Coast Conference North Division opener.
