Pasadena, Calif. - While Illinois Tech women's basketball didn't find the results they were looking for on the court during their trip to southern California, dropping the finale to Caltech 53-31 on Tuesday afternoon, the trip as a whole was a success off the court for the team, especially for a trio of Scarlet Hawks from the area: Camden Joko, Miabella Spica, and Amanda Wang.

Joko, Spica and Wang all got the chance to play in front of family and friends, many of whom had not seen them play in person since their high school days.

"The best trip" said Joko, a senior guard playing her final season of collegiate basketball. On Sunday, Joko had the opportunity to play against her younger sister, Shea, who is a sophomore guard on Pomona-Pitzer.

Spica, a sophomore guard, enjoyed the trip as well, especially having a cheering section in the crowd at the team's games at Pomona-Pitzer on Sunday and at Caltech on Tuesday.

"It was great to have them all there," said Spica. "It's been a while since my family and friends have all seen me play since Illinois Tech is so far away. I really enjoyed seeing them in the crowd."

Wang, a first-year guard, also felt having her own, familiar rooting section was one of the best parts of the trip.

"I had an amazing experience playing in front of my family and friends and was so grateful that they came to support me," said Wang.

In addition to playing in front of family and friends, the team enjoyed some bonding time amongst teammates and their families. The Joko family hosted both the Pomona-Pitzer and Illinois Tech women's basketball teams for a dual team dinner one night on the trip. 

In addition to the time bonding with their teammates, Joko, Spica and Wang also had the opportunity to have some downtime with their families. 

"It was nice to go to dinner with my family after the games," said Spica. "I haven't seen them since summer and it was great to catch up."

Wang enjoyed the time with family as well.

"I was also able to spend some time with my family after games and I really appreciated that they came to support me," said Wang.

While Joko had the added experience of playing against her sister in the opening game of the trip, both Spica and Wang each had their favorite memories of the trip.

"I enjoyed my free time with the girls at the house," Spica said. "It was really fun playing card games and hanging out with each other."

"My favorite memory of this trip was spending time with my teammates at Venice beach," said Wang.

The Hawks fell behind early in the first quarter of their game against the Beavers on Tuesday, and could never close the gap, despite playing much better ball in the game's final three quarters. Senior forward Chloe Churilla once again paced the Scarlet Hawks on offense and on the glass, scoring 14 points while collecting 9 rebounds. Churilla averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds over the 2-game trip. Morgan Applewhite added 7 rebounds in Tuesday's game.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will head to the holiday break before returning to action on Saturday, January 3rd when they host MSOE in a return to Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.