No. 2 Palomar routs No. 15 Rio Hondo 79-49; back in Sweet 16

SAN MARCOS, CA (2/25/2023) -- No. 2 Palomar College hosted No. 15 Rio Hondo College in the second round of the CCCAA SoCal Regional and won 79-49 to advance to their third straight Sweet 16.

When the seeds for the postseason came out, Palomar took their No. 2 seed personally. The Comets jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter and the Roadrunners didn't score until four minutes into the game. It was off to the races from there. Palomar, known for their high-octane offense and speed, slowed the game down as the Comets adjusted to the pace the Roadrunners were playing. The Comets had an 11-point lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Comets let the Roadrunners close the gap on the lead to just four points, it was then the Comets kicked it into gear. They went on a 20-8 run to end the quarter and took a 42-26 lead into halftime. While the Roadrunners made adjustments at the half, it was all Comets in the end as they outscored the Roadrunners 20-8 in the fourth quarter. 

In an overall team effort, five Comets ended in double-digits. Sophomore Deajanae Harvey led the team with 18 points, while sophomore Camille Sroufe finished with 15, freshman Teanna Alaman finished with 14, sophomore Kayla Williams ended the night with 13 and sophomore Rory Hetrick rounded out the scoring with 11 points. The Comets outrebounded the Roadrunners 40-29 as Harvey led the team with eight and Hetrick and Williams each had six. Sophomore Faith Schwantner settled into her role as a ball mover early in the season and has not let up since. She finished with five assists and four steals. 

No. 2 Palomar will host No. 7 Glendale College on Saturday night in the Dome for a 7 p.m. tip-off.