The women's basketball team will play two games this weekend on ODAC action vs. Randolph (Fri.) and Lynchburg (Sat.). It will be a big weekend for the women, as they will look to gain some ground in the ODAC and move over .500 in conference play. Game time for Friday's game will be at 7 p.m. and Saturday's game will start at 4 p.m.

 

Roanoke holds a 45-3 all-time series lead over the Wildcats since starting the series in 1983. Randolph won their third game in six meetings last year, 67-64. The Maroons won the last meeting, 77-48. Before 2003, the Maroons were 40-1, with their only loss to that point in 1997-98.

 

The Maroons are 53-8 all-time vs. the Hornets since 1978. The women have won seven-straight, including an 85-69 win on Dec. 4. It was the largest win margin at Lynchburg since the 1999-00 season. The 85 points were also the most scored at Lynchburg since the 1998-99 season.

 

SALEM, VA- The Roanoke College Women's basketball team defeated visiting Randolph Macon Woman's College 77-48 in Salem on Saturday, February 17, 2007 to the end of regular season. The Maroons improve to 15-10 overall and 13-7 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Wildcats fall to 2-22 overall and 2-18 in the ODAC. The Maroons will be the fifth seed in the upcoming ODAC tournament and will play their quarterfinal game on Friday at 3:00pm at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.

Roanoke's Ashley Nesbit recorded the first three-point shot of her career to open the game's scoring and give the Maroons a 3-0 lead. RMWC, bounced back and took an early lead. With 12:37 in the first half, the Wildcats led 14-5 on a jump shot by Sam Schaffstall. Roanoke's Cindy McGraw hit a three-point shot with 2:12 left in the first half to cap a 27-4 Roanoke run, a run in which the Maroon defense held the Wildcats to just two field goals and without a point for the span of over six minutes. That run gave the Maroons a 32-20 lead, their largest lead of the half. The Maroons went into the lockerroom with a 36-24 lead.

Roanoke's lead got out to as many as 30 points in the second half. The Maroons limited the Wildcats to just 29 percent from the field in the second half and 31 percent for the game.

The last home game of the season and Roanoke's senior night saw Erin Hanson score a game-high 24 points. Torri Bridge had eight assists while Jaleesa Osborne added seven. Roanoke's 23 assists were the second most this season. With the help of Sara Keller's seven points and Marcy Conner's four points, the Maroons outscored the Wildcats 41-24 in second half. Randolph Macon Woman's College was led by Sam Schaffstall's 13 points and Sara Rechnitzer's 10 points. Katie Rechnitzer added four assists.

 

Lynchburg, Va. - With Jaleesa Osborne inactive and Erin Hanson out during most of the second half with injuries, the Maroons came together and defeated Lynchburg, 85-69 on Tuesday evening. The Maroons improved to 4-2 overall, 2-2 in the ODAC. The Hornets dropped to 3-2; 0-1 in the ODAC. Roanoke, now 53-7 in the all-time series is now 51-5 under head coach Susan Dunagan. It was also the 40th time that the Maroons have defeated the Hornets by at least 15-points or more.

 

The Hornets jumped out to an early 11-6 lead after two Kristina Darby three-pointers with 16:12 to go.

The game remained tight through most of the first half as there were four ties and three lead changes. A three-pointer by Courtney Brewer would tie the contest for the last time, 29-29 with nine minutes remaining in the first half.

 

Then Roanoke caught fire, finishing the half on a 17-5 run to take a 46-34 lead at the half. Hanson would score 11 of her 13 first half points during the run. The Hornets shot 55-percent from three-point range (6-for-11), but were held to just one three-pointer during the last nine minutes of the half.

 

The Maroons shot 52-percent from the field, 44% from beyond the arc in addition to hitting all six of their free throw attempts. Hanson hit four of those attempts, including 4-of-5 from the field. Fellow senior Torri Bridge also had a career-high 13 first half points (6-of-8 shooting).

 

Without Hanson for most of the second half with an injury, the Hornets slowly climbed back. Lynchburg cut the Maroon lead to within six, 65-59 after a Kylie Lucas layup with seven minutes remaining. 

 

The Maroons responded with a 12-1 run over the next three minutes that would eventually put the game out of reach, 77-60 with 3:51 left. The Maroons finished the game hitting 23-of-24 from the line, including the last 13 in a row to end the game.

 

The Maroons had four scorers in double-figures, led by Hanson with 17 points, along with six rebounds. Bridge reached her career-high with 17 points, 4-of-4 from the line including 6-of-9 from the field. She also had five rebounds and three assists.

 

Jordan Gholson scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds in 22 minutes of play. She also had three blocked shots. Caitlyn Long had 14 points and a career-high four assists. Erin Jenkins had seven points, seven rebounds and tied a career-high with four assists. Lindsay Skaff score seven points and dished out four assists. Virginia Anne Hagood chipped in six points. Both led the late second half run to put the game away.

 

Randolph enters tonight's game with a 1-9 record, 0-7 in the ODAC. Their only win came against Russel Sage Nov. 17, 66-49 in the second game of the season. As a team, the Wildcats lead the ODAC in three-point percentage (33.3%). 

 

The Wildcats are led by Katie Rechnitzer with 16.2 points (3^rd in ODAC) and 18 three-pointers (36.7%) and 80-percent from the free throw line. She has led her team in scoring six times. Lindsay Cross is second in scoring (10.5) but leads the team in rebounding (8.5), which is second in the ODAC, and field goal percentage (48.8%). She has connected on half of her three-point attempts (11-22) this season and led the team in rebounding four times and scoring twice this season.

 

Lynchburg is currently 7-4 and 4-2 in the ODAC. After a 3-0 start, they had three tough losses to Div. I Elon, Roanoke and a tough Christopher Newport team that is 8-2 overall and undefeated in USA-South play. From that point on, the Hornets have taken four of their next five, with their only loss coming to Bridgewater, 75-62. 

 

Brittany Dahn has led the team in scoring during the last five games and six overall this season. She has also led the team in rebounding seven times, including four of the last five games. She is second in the ODAC in scoring (17.1 ppg) and leads the conference in rebounding (11.1 rpg). Kristina Darby leads the team in steals (25), assists (36), three-pointers (19), free-throw percentage (77.3%) and second in scoring at 12.5 points per game.

 

Roanoke enters today's game with a 5-7 record, 3-4 in ODAC play. The Maroons ended a five-game skid with a commanding 67-48 win over Bridgewater on Tuesday. The Maroons are ranked nationally in free-throw percentage (21^st/73.9%) and assists per game 69^th/15.1apg). Prior to the win, the Maroons have dropped seven of eight games.

 

The Maroons are led by senior Erin Hanson (14.9 ppg/7.2 rpg). She is ranked in the ODAC in free-throw percentage (82.9%). Sophomore Caitlyn Long is second in scoring (10.9) and leads the team in three-pointers made (19). Senior Torri Bridge is averaging 9.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while leading the Maroons in assists (41) and free-throw percentage (85.2%). She is second in steals (21) and free throws made (23).

 

For the third time this season, senior Erin Hanson will sit out for the fifth game with an injury. In the Dec. 4 game vs. Lynchburg, Hanson sat out the first half with a mild concussion. She missed the Eastern Mennonite game on Jan. 4 due to a leg injury. She missed her first start of the season against Bridgewater with an illness, but injured herself early in the second half with a broken nose. She will likely miss the rest of January to heal.