SALEM, Va. – Senior Michal Ross (Glen Allen, Va./Glen Allen) scored a season-high 27 points and senior Kelly Williams (Garysburg, N.C./Halifax Academy) recorded her 19th double-double of the season with 14 rebounds and matching her season-best with 24 points as the fourth-seeded Randolph-Macon women's basketball team defeated top-seeded Emory & Henry 72-68 in the semifinals of the 2020 ODAC Championship.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 72, Emory & Henry 68

Location/Venue: Salem, Va./Salem Civic Center

Records: R-MC 17-9, E&H 22-5

How it Happened:

• Williams, the ODAC Player of the Year, had the first bucket of the game for the Yellow Jackets. The Wasps tied it at 4-4 before a three-pointer by sophomore Cheridan Hatfield (Fishersville, Va./Wilson Memorial) capped a 6-1 spurt as R-MC took a 10-5 lead with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter. E&H scored seven straight points before a layup by Hatfield halted the run and leveled the score at 12-12 with 3:20 left. Following a basket by the Wasps, Williams hit a trey and sophomore Aimee DeBell (Studley, Va./Saint Gertrude) made a short jumper to give the Yellow Jackets a 17-14 edge with 1:10 remaining. E&H had the final field goal of the period as R-MC led 17-16 after one. Williams and Hatfield led the Yellow Jackets with five apiece.
• Williams had a pair of free throws, a follow and a three-pointer to make up a 7-1 run at the start of the second quarter as R-MC took a 24-17 lead with 7:30 remaining. Following a Wasp layup, DeBell hit a jumper and Ross scored twice in the paint as the Yellow Jackets pushed the advantage to 11 at 30-19 with 3:50 left. R-MC led 32-23 before Ross hit a jumper and nailed a three-pointer just before the buzzer as the Yellow Jackets led 37-23 at intermission. Ross, All-ODAC Second Team, had R-MC's final 11 points of the period. Ross paced the Yellow Jackets with 15 points, going 7 for 10 from the floor. Williams had 12 points and seven boards.
• Williams started the second half by hitting two foul shots, pushing the lead to 39-23. Following a basket by E&H, Ross had six points in a 9-2 run as the Yellow Jackets went up 21 at 48-27 with 6:30 left in the third period. The Wasps used a 15-2 spurt to cut the deficit to 10 at 52-42 with two minutes remaining. Williams and freshman Devan Conrad (Parkville, Md./St. Paul's) hit jumpers and senior Charlotte Woods (Richmond, Va./Trinity), All-ODAC Third Team, made a layup with five seconds left to make it 58-42 at the end of three quarters.
• Ross sank a pair of jumpers as part of a 6-3 start to the final period as R-MC led 64-45 with 6:15 remaining. E&H would rally, using a 23-6 run to pull within two at 70-68 with 8.7 seconds left. DeBell hit two free throws with 7.6 seconds remaining, and the Wasps would not get off a final shot as the Yellow Jackets held on for the 72-68 victory.

By The Numbers:

• R-MC had two players score 20 or more points in the same game for the first time this season.
• Ross was 12 for 17 from the floor, hit her only three-point attempt, and was 2 for 2 from the free throw line.
• Williams went 7 for 11 on field goals, 2 for 2 beyond the arc, and 8 for 10 from the charity stripe.
• The Yellow Jackets shot 47% from the floor (26-55) and hit 5 of 11 three-point attempts (45.5%).
• R-MC junior Becca Arrington (Amelia, Va./Amelia Academy)
• The Yellow Jackets held a slim 41-29 edge on the glass. Along with the 14 by Williams, Ross and Hatfield both grabbed seven.
• Hatfield and junior Becca Arrington (Amelia, Va./Amelia Academy) both had four assists, while Williams dished out three.

For The Record

• The Yellow Jackets have won eight straight games and 11 of their past 12 contests. The only loss in the past dozen games was a 72-67 decision at E&H.
• The Yellow Jackets improved to 13-5 in ODAC semifinal contests.
• R-MC is 9-3 all-time in ODAC Championship games, winning titles in 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2018. The Yellow Jackets have won the crown in their past seven appearances in the championship game.
• R-MC played and won for the first time in program history on Leap Day.
• Williams has scored in double figures in 23 straight games and had tallied 20 points in six of the past seven contests.
• Ross has scored in double figures in seven straight contests and in 20 total this season.

Up Next:

• Randolph-Macon will face #7 Guilford in the 2020 ODAC Championship Game on Sunday, March 1 at 1 p.m.