No. 18 Canyons Handed 73-63 Playoff Loss at No. 15 Rio Hondo

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

WHITTIER — No. 18 College of the Canyons had its season come to an end by a 73-63 final score at Rio Hondo College during the play-in round of the CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoffs on Wednesday night.

Canyons (17-11) had been competing in the postseason for the 26th time in program history and first under first-year head coach John Wissmath.

COC fought the Roadrunners (16-13) point for point across the first two quarters to settle for a 35-35 score at the break.

The Cougars shot better than 46 percent from the floor in the first half with April Tuason leading the way at 11 points and Hannah Tolentino next at eight. Still, the Cougars offense wasn't working at max efficiency with point guard Monique Febles hampered by three fouls and two-time All-State forward LuLu Salloom attempting just three shots in the half.

Rio Hondo managed to find a slight edge in the third quarter shooting 57 percent from the field to eventually take a 53-52 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Salloom scored eight points in the quarter to combat the Roadrunners' efficiency including back-to-back fadeaway jumpers late in the period.

RHC finally made its move with a 20-11 fourth quarter run that socked the game away for the home side as Canyons shot just 4-of-17 down the stretch. The Roadrunners were also aided by 18 Cougars' turnovers.

Rosalie Avalos led all scorers with 19 points for Rio Hondo, one of four players to finish in double digits for the Roadrunners. Tuason was tops for Canyons with 18 points and Salloom finished with 12. 

Salloom finishes her two-year Cougar career with 781 points and 826 rebounds, one of only three players in program history to earn two All-State team selections.

No. 15 Rio Hondo advances to face No. 2 Palomar College on Saturday, Feb. 25. 

Top Performers 

• Monique Febles — 36 min, 10 pts, 6 rebs, 3 assists, 2 stls
• LuLu Salloom — 40 min, 12 pts, 17 rebs, 4 assists, 2 stls
• Natalie Satamian — 23 min, 11 pts, 4 rebs, assist, stl
• April Tuason — 39 min, 18 pts, 2 rebs, 2 stls, 3-of-5 three-pointers

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

—Photo by Kyle Kawamoto/COC Sports Information