SALEM, Va. – The #4 Randolph-Macon College Women's Basketball Team (17-9) held off a furious fourth-period rally by #1 Emory & Henry College (22-5) as it advanced to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament Championship by a 72-68 score on Saturday.
The score line was identical to the matchup between the two squads in the 2018 edition of the tournament, when R-MC defeated E&H to capture the league title. The Wasps were making their fifth appearance in the league semifinals in the past six seasons.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – #4 Randolph-Macon 72, #1 Emory & Henry 68
LOCATION – Salem, Virginia
VENUE – Salem Civic Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (22-5, 15-3 ODAC); Randolph-Macon (17-9, 13-5 ODAC)
How It Happened
- The two teams battled to a 12-12 tie at the 3:16 mark of the opening period with the Yellow Jackets holding a 17-16 advantage through 10 minutes of play.
- In the second, R-MC went ahead, 24-17, and closed the half with a 13-4 scoring spurt, taking a 37-23 advantage into the locker room after a buzzer-beating three-pointer my Michal Ross.
- Randolph-Macon scored nine of the first 13 points of the third quarter to extend its lead to 21 (48-27) with 6:27 on the clock. Down by a 52-34 margin, the Wasps scored eight in a row to make it a 10-point game before the Yellow Jackets answered with the final six points to hold a 58-42 advantage with one quarter left.
- Trailing by 19 with less than five minutes remaining, Emory & Henry's offense caught fire, going on a 23-6 run to close the gap all the way down to two points, 70-68, on three free throws by senior forward Kara Stafford (Bristol, Tenn.) with seven seconds remaining. The Wasps went 7-for-10 from the free throw line during the stretch and were 5-for-5 on inside shots during the span.
- E&H sent R-MC to the free throw line and a pair of buckets by the Jackets were enough to clinch the victory, 72-68.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Senior forward Sydney McKinney (Big Stone Gap, Va.) led all players with a career-high 30 points, scoring 14 in the fourth period alone, as she tallied a double-double with 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block.
- Senior forward Peyton Williams (Saltville, Va.) had 10 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two assists while Stafford tacked on 10 points and six boards.
- Sophomore center Alexis Hoppers (Sparta, N.C.) led the bench with six points and four rebounds while junior forward Elizabeth Jones (Wytheville, Va.) added nine points and five boards.
Randolph-Macon Individual Leaders
- Ross put up a team-high 27 points and tacked on seven rebounds and three steals while Kelly Williams had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.
- Cheridan Hatfield went for nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry hit 26-of-72 (36.1%) of its field goal attempts with seven makes from beyond the arc. The Wasps went 9-for-14 (64.3%) at the free throw line.
- Randolph-Macon shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) for the game, connecting on five shots from long range. The Yellow Jackets converted 15-of-22 (68.2%) of their free throws.
- R-MC held a 41-39 rebounding advantage but E&H pulled down 16 offensive boards which it used for a 14-6 lead in second-chance points and a 36-28 margin on points in the paint.
- The Wasps also made the most of 20 Yellow Jacket errors, leading 23-16 on possessions following turnovers.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will await the announcement of the field of 64 teams for the 2020 NCAA Division III Tournament. The Wasps are now seeking one of 20 "Pool C" berths to the tournament which are assigned to the top at-large teams across the country. The NCAA Tournament selection show will be streamed live on http://www.NCAA.com on Monday at 2:30 p.m.
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