Date: Saturday, January 24, 2009
Contact: Robert Dignazio / Sports Information Intern
(804) 752-7387, robertdignazio@rmc.edu

 Ariail and Hiltunen Each Net 22 Points to Power R-MC Past Virginia Wesleyan 79-55
(Box Score)

Ashland, Va. - Molly Ariail tallied 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Amanda Hiltunen registered 22 points and nine steals in 39 minutes of work as Randolph-Macon defeated Virginia Wesleyan 79-55 on Saturday. The contest pitted two teams tied for first-place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) standings. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to an early lead and the Marlins never led in the contest. R-MC held VWC to 18 points in the second half.

Hiltunen opened the contest by drilling a jump shot, grabbing a steal, and knocking down a three-pointer to give the Yellow Jackets a 5-0 lead two minutes into the first half. VWC's Andrea Ushinski answered by converting a layup, but R-MC's Katie Williams made both of her free throws after being fouled by Tonia Jones to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-2 lead. Ariail then netted the next seven R-MC points, widening the Yellow Jacket lead to 14-4. Maggie Roy kept the rally going as she drained two three-pointers and a pair of foul shots in a five-minute span to give R-MC a 28-14 lead with 10:11 remaining in the first half.

The Marlins' Jordan Neville responded by netting 14 points in the final nine minutes of the first half to lead a 23-14 Virginia Wesleyan run. R-MC entered the break clinging to a 42-37 lead. Ariail registered 18 points in the first stanza, while Neville tallied 16.

After VWC's Maggie Smith tied the game with a layup in the first minute of the second half, the Yellow Jackets outscored the Marlins 15-5 in the ensuing six minutes. Lindsay Riesbeck, Williams, Ariail, and Hiltunen registered points to fuel the run that gave R-MC a 57-47 lead with 13 minutes remaining. Both teams exchanged pairs of field goals in the following three minutes, setting the score 61-51 with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

The Yellow Jackets would convert only two field goals in the final ten minutes of play, but would shoot 14-for-19 from the charity stripe to end the game on an 18-4 run.

RMC's defense held VWC's Jordan Neville scoreless in the second half. Jocelyn Spencer led the Marlins with six points in the final twenty minutes, while Amanda Hiltunen netted 10 points and Riesbeck registered eight points in the second half.

R-MC shot 42.9% from the field as well as 42.9% from beyond the arc on the night.

The Yellow Jackets' victory knocks the Marlins out of first place in the ODAC standings. R-MC (11-5, 9-2 ODAC) and Roanoke, which defeated Guilford 75-65 on Saturday, each possess 9-2 conference records. VWC (11-5, 8-3) drops to third place in the ODAC.

R-MC returns to action on Monday when the Yellow Jackets travel to Dickinson (8-7, 6-4 Centennial) for their final non-conference game of the regular season. Game time is slated for 6:00 PM in Carlisle, Pa. The Yellow Jackets return home on Wednesday to face Eastern Mennonite at 7:00 PM.

- Yellow Jackets -