Sunday, March 1, 2009
Contact: Chris Kilcoyne

Randolph-Macon Women's Hoops Claims ODAC Crown with 69-65 Victory Over Bridgewater
(Box Score)

SALEM, VA -- For the third time in the last four seasons, the Randolph-Macon women's basketball team captured the ODAC Tournament Championship Sunday with a 69-65 win over archrival Bridgewater. Junior center Molly Ariail was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Yellow Jackets will advance to the NCAA Tournament next week. They will learn their first-round opponent on Monday afternoon.

The win gives R-MC a 23-5 record heading into the NCAA Tournament; it is R-MC's sixth ODAC title and the program's fifth league championship in the last seven years.

All-Tournament selection Amanda Hiltunen dropped in a team-high 19 points on the afternoon, while fellow all tourney choice Lindsay Riesbeck had 13 points and nine boards. Ariail capped her MOP performance with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Bridgewater, which finishes its season with a 17-11 record, got a game-high 20 points from Jordan Burkholder and 14 points from Emileigh Lambert. Rebecca Henderson snared 12 rebounds to help BC to a 42-34 edge on the glass.

The game was close from the onset of the opening tip before Randolph-Macon reeled off eight straight points in the latter stages of the first half, taking a 31-21 lead on a jumper by Jennifer O'Briant. A Hiltunen bucket as time expired sent the Jackets to the locker room with a 33-24 lead.

BC battled back, going on a 14-4 run to start the second stanza which was capped by a Burkholder tip-in to give the Eagles a 38-37 lead with 14:03 to play.

A Jillian Asay layup on R-MC's ensuing possession started what proved to be the first of five straight points by the Yellow Jackets to take a 42-37 edge with 12:19 to go. The Eagles then clawed back and took the lead at 46-45 on a Jenny Logan jumper with just over 11 minutes remaining.

Over the course of the next 5:08 there were three ties and nine lead changes, before Hiltunen gave R-MC the lead for good at 58-56 with a bucket at the 4:52 mark and sparked what proved 10 points for her in a decisive 14-0 R-MC run to claim the championship.

-Yellow Jackets-