Rio Hondo College freshman Christina Hilton grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds but the impressive night was overshadowed by tough 57-53 loss to No. 7 state-ranked Pasadena City College on Wednesday in both teams' South Coast Conference North Division opener.

Hilton added 13 points to her amazing effort at home, including a three-point basket at the buzzer that gave the Roadrunners a 28-27 lead at halftime.

Pasadena caught fire in the third quarter, outscoring Rio Hondo 23-13 to go ahead 50-41 heading into the fourth. But the Roadrunners opened the final period with an 8-1 run. Mariah Rivera's layup with 4:06 left to play got Rio Hondo within two points at 51-49.

The Roadrunners were once again down two, 55-53 with 30 seconds remaining after a pair of free throws by Candace Black. But Pasadena's Cosette Balmy sealed the Lancers' victory with consecutive free throws with 25 seconds left. Rio Hondo missed a pair of three-pointers over the final 10 seconds allowing PCC to escape with the victory.

Freshman Amanda Lee scored a team-high 15 points to go along with 4 steals and 4 rebounds.

Dariel Johnson posted a double-double for Pasadena (16-3, 1-0 SCC) with 15 points and 19 rebounds.

The loss dropped Rio Hondo to 13-8 overall and 0-1 in SCC North Division play. The Roadrunners return to action on Friday (Jan. 25) when they travel to No. 5 state-ranked L.A. Trade Tech College for a 7 p.m. SCC North game.