ASHLAND, Va. – Senior Katie Anderson (Beaverdam, Va./Patrick Henry) started the season with a double-double, posting 26 points and 12 rebounds, as the Randolph-Macon women's basketball team nipped No. 16 Catholic 79-75 Friday evening in the first round of the R-MC Tip-Off Classic, sponsored by Riesbeck Contracting.

Anderson had eight field goals and went 10 for 12 from the free throw line for the Yellow Jackets (1-0). She added five steals, two blocks and two assists.

R-MC trailed 69-64 midway through the fourth quarter. Freshman Deja Dennis (Owings Mills, Md./Western Tech) made a layup with 3:11 remaining to make it a three-point game and junior Taylor Intermill (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) nailed a three-pointer on an assist by Dennis to knot the score at 69 with 2:44 left. Anderson made a layup on an assist by senior Hannah Livermon (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) with 2:18 remaining to give the home team a 71-69 edge.

The Cardinals (0-1) tied it with just over two minutes left. Anderson sank a pair of free throws with 1:09 remaining, but another layup by CUA tied it at 73 with less than a minute left. Anderson hit two more foul shots with 42 seconds left to put R-MC ahead for good at 75-73. Senior Khajae Hester (Virginia Beach, Va./Cape Henry Collegiate) hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to push the lead to 77-73. After a Cardinal layup, Livermon and Anderson hit foul shots in the final 10 seconds to give the Yellow Jackets a 79-75 victory.

R-MC was able to build a five-point lead in the first period at 15-10 before taking a 20-16 lead after one quarter. The Yellow Jackets were up 25-18 before CUA scored seven straight to knot the score at 25-25. There were five more ties in the period for eight in the half as the teams were even 37-37 at intermission. Hester had 10 first-half points, going 3 for 3 from the floor, 2 for 2 on three-pointers and 2 for 2 from the free throw line.

Neither team led by more than four in the third period at the Cardinals led 56-55 heading to the final quarter.

Hester finished with 15 points and five assists, while Livermon added 13 points and five boards. Senior Lauren Vugteveen (Midlothian, Va./Amelia Academy) had five points and 10 rebounds.

Melissa Errico had 26 points and 16 rebounds, while Jayni Webster added 15 points and Michelle DeSantis chipped in 14 for the Cardinals.

Randolph-Macon returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 14, for a 4 p.m. encounter with Mount St. Vincent in the second round of the R-MC Tip-off Classic, sponsored by Riesbeck Contracting.