Taking on state power Palomar College in the first round of the Crossover Challenge, the Cerritos College women's basketball team suffered a 98-47 setback on Friday night. The loss was the third in a row for the Falcons (10-8), who will now host Grossmont College (1-11) in the consolation round of the tournament at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

In the loss to the #9-ranked Comets (13-3), the Falcons fell behind early and could never get any momentum going. Trailing 10-0 to start the game, Cerritos didn't get on the board until a pair of free throws from sophomore Jesenia Rendon (Carson HS). The team didn't convert their first basket until a three-pointer from freshman Mariah Lora (Warren HS) with 3:45 left in the first quarter. They trailed 28-11 after the first quarter and were looking up at a 52-14 deficit at intermission.

On the night, Cerritos made just 37% of their field goals and turned the ball over 24 times, which Palomar turned into 30 points. Jesenia Rendon led the team with 11 points, while sophomore Serena Rendon (Carson HS) posted 10 points. The bench accounted for 28 of the team's points, with Lora (seven points) joined by freshman Jade Johnson (City of Angels HS), who had six points, while the pair each pulled down three rebounds.

Photo courtesy of Palomar Athletics