Date: Monday, January 26 , 2009
Contact: Robert Dignazio / Sports Information Intern
(804) 752-7387, robertdignazio@rmc.edu

 Riesbeck Posts Double-Double as R-MC Defeats Dickinson 76-72 in Women's Basketball Action
(Box Score)

Carlisle, Pa. - Senior forward Lindsay Riesbeck tallied 16 rebounds and 14 points and junior Molly Ariail netted 23 points to lead Randolph-Macon women's basketball team past Dickinson 76-72 in a nail-biter on Monday night. The duo combined for the Yellow Jackets' first 12 points of the contest, and Jillian Asay converted a crucial three-point attempt with 1:14 remaining in regulation to seal the win.

 Riesbeck opened the scoring on her first shot from the floor to give R-MC a 2-0 lead just 17 seconds after tipoff. Ariail proceeded to hit four field goals of her own before a Riesbeck layup gave the Yellow Jackets a 12-9 lead with 11:36 remaining in the first half. After a missed field goal attempt by Dickinson, freshman Maggie Roy pulled down the rebound and fed classmate Jillian Asay on the following possession. Asay nailed a three-pointer to widen the R-MC lead to 15-9.

 Dickinson responded with a 14-8 run, capped off by Brooke Muller's three-pointer, to tie the contest 23-23 with 3:09 remaining in the first half. The Yellow Jackets carried a slim 27-26 lead into halftime.

 Both squads emerged from the break determined to win the contest in the second half. Both teams improved their shooting in the second stanza. The Yellow Jackets shot 33.3% from the field in the first half, but would should 57.7% in the second. Their free throw shooting would improve from 54.4% to 73.9% as well. Dickinson shot just 18.8% in the first twenty minutes of play, but would improve to 40.0% in the second half. The Red Devils also found better fortune at the charity stripe, missing only one free throw attempt in the second stanza after missing four in the first half.

 Ariail opened second half scoring, but it did not take long for Dickinson to tie the game again. Kelcey Kraus hit a jumper to knot the game 32-32 with 16:55 remaining in regulation. However, Riesbeck knocked down three consecutive field goals, Molly Brown converted a layup, and Asay made a pair of free throws - all in fewer than three minutes - to build a 42-32 R-MC lead with 13:54 remaining.

 The Red Devils chopped away at the Yellow Jacket lead, outscoring Randolph-Macon 27-17 in the next ten minutes. Riesbeck committed her fifth foul of the game with 4:47 remaining and Dickinson tied the game 59-59 with four minutes remaining in regulation.

 Asay proceeded to fill the scoring gap left by Riesbeck's departure. The freshman assisted on an Ariail jumper that gave R-MC a 63-59 lead with 3:18 remaining. After Sisco pulled Dickinson within one point, hitting a jumper of her own with 2:21 remaining, Asay made a layup to widen R-MC's lead to three points. Sisco again responded, nailing a field goal with 1:39 remaining to pull Dickinson within a single point once again. However, it was Asay who threw the final punch. On R-MC's ensuing possession, the freshman received a pass from senior Amanda Hiltunen, set her feet behind the arc, and drilled her second three-pointer of the game to improve the Yellow Jacket lead to four points.

 On the next Dickinson possession, Maggie Roy grabbed a steal to force the Red Devils to foul. The freshman buried both ensuing free throw attempts to widen the lead to 72-66. R-MC's Roy and Hiltunen shot a combined six-for-eight from the charity stripe in the final minute to seal the win.

 Jillian Asay finished the contest with 11 points. The freshman shot two-for-two from behind the arc. Both shots proved to be crucial in the R-MC victory. Her first three-pointer gave the Yellow Jackets a 15-9 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the opening half, the largest lead of the first stanza. It was her final shot, however, that secured the R-MC victory. She also pulled down eight rebounds.

 In addition to her game-high 23 points, Ariail also tallied seven rebounds. 

Dickinson's Laura Lyons netted 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double. Sisco led the Red Devils with 21 points. Brooke Muller and Carole Dempsey also scored in the double-digits for Dickinson.

 Randolph-Macon controlled the paint throughout the game, outscoring Dickinson 36-26 from the key and out-rebounding the Red Devils 52-38. However, it was the turnover game which favored Dickinson. The Yellow Jackets committed 18 turnovers, while the Red Devils only made five. Dickinson netted 23 points off R-MC turnovers.

 The Red Devils never led after the first five minutes of play. However, they did tie the score six times throughout the contest.

 Randolph-Macon (12-4, 9-2 ODAC) returns to conference play on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets host Eastern Mennonite (12-4, 7-4 ODAC) at 7:00 PM in Crenshaw Gymnasium. Dickinson drops to 8-8 overall. The Red Devils host Elizabethtown on Thursday at 7:30 PM.

 - Yellow Jackets -