The Basics
Score: Roanoke 66 | Randolph 63
Records: Maroons 20-5 / 15-3 ODAC | WildCats 17-6 / 12-5 ODAC
Location: Salem, Va.
The Lead: The Maroons welcomed Randolph College to the Cregger Center on Saturday afternoon for their Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) regular season finale. The WildCats would enjoy a lead throughout much of the game and led by six with four-minutes left to play. A steal and layup with just under 10-seconds to play would put the Maroons in front. Randolph hit one of two from the stripe and the game was tied with just seconds on the clock. Roanoke got the ball inside for a layup and foul with .3 seconds left to complete the comeback and win their 20th game of the season, 66-63.
How it Happened:
- Randolph raced out to a 7-2 advantage. Renee Alquiza scored from long range and Kristina Harrel added another 3-pointer to put the Maroons on top for the first time. Roanoke pushed the lead to three after Lauren Keel free throws but then the Wildcats would close the quarter on an 11-6 run to take an 18-16 lead.
- With 5:07 left before the break, the WildCat lead had grown to 30-22. Alquiza scored four points and a Whitney Hopson jumper would close the gap to two, 30-28. With 1:49, Harrel tied it at 32-32 with a pair of made free throws. Randolph would score eight of the next 10 to take a 38-34 lead into the break.
- Four straight Ayanna Scarborough points would tie the score at 38 apiece int eh opening minutes of the third quarter. However, at the end of the frame, it was another WildCat run that would see the visitors in front, 51-46, heading into the final period of play.
- With 6:06 left on the clock, RC found themselves on the short end of a 57-50 score. Peyton Kirchner and Rose Sande kept hopes alive with three-pointers and another Alquiza free throw made it a one possession game with 1:44 left to play.
- Out of a timeout, Randolph pushed their lead to 62-59 with 45 seconds to go. Roanoke missed a game tying shot and the ball went out of bounds to the WildCats. The first of back-to-back turnovers gave the ball back to Roanoke and Hopson made it a one-point game.
- Another timeout by Randolph would allow Roanoke to set their defense. Hopson stole the ball and took it in for the score and a one-point lead, 63-62. A Roanoke foul would allow the Cats to tie the game at 63-63 with just seconds on the clock. With three ticks to go, Hopson drove the lane, drew the defense, and found Keel for the game winning bucket with .3 seconds on the clock. Keel hit her free throw and the final score of 66-63 allowed the Maroons to wrap up the #3 seed heading into the ODAC Tournament.
- Harrel (12) and Hopson (10) led a balanced attack that would see 10 different Maroons score. Sayre Brandstatter led the team with 11 rebounds and six assists.
Up next: Roanoke will play the #6 seeded Lynchburg on Friday night in the last of four quarterfinal matchups in the 2022 ODAC Women's Basketball tournament. The game with Hornets is scheduled for 8:00pm in the Salem Civic Center.
