BRIDGEWATER, Va. -
Marisa Ziegler (Forest Hill, Md./John Carroll) and
Jane Elkins (Annandale, Va./Bishop Ireton) combined for 27 points of the 45 points for the Yellow Jackets, as a strong final ten minutes for Bridgewater ended to be the deciding factor, as Randolph-Macon dropped the road contest 61-45.
The Basics:
Score: Bridgewater 61, Randolph-Macon 45
Venue: Bridgewater, Va.//Nininger Hall//Bridgewater College
Records: Randolph-Macon (15-6, 11-3 ODAC), Bridgewater (14-6, 10-4 ODAC)
How it Happened
- In the first period, neither team was able to grab more than a one possession lead. Abby Freeman connected on a mid-range jumper to put the Eagles up 6-3 with 7:19 left. Two possessions later Ziegler knocked down a three ball to tie the game back up at 6-6. The game went scoreless until Jane Elkins split a pair of free throws with 1:03 left to give Randolph-Macon a slim 7-6 advantage. The lead changed three different times in the final minute, but a Rosemary Pierson three ball with second left gave Bridgewater an 11-10 lead after the first period.
- The second period brought more lead changes for over seven minutes. Jaden Alsberry gave the Eagles the biggest lead of the first half for either team, knocking down a jumper for a 20-16 lead. The Yellow Jackets scored five straight points and a Bella Bruce (Herndon, Va./Westfield) three pointer gave RMC the lead back 21-20 with 2:32 remaining in the half. The Eagles took another four point lead with 1:29 left, but Sam Smith (Chesterfield, Va./St. Gertrudes) nailed a momentum-changing three ball to take Randolph-Macon into the locker room down 25-24.
- The late three pointer by Smith carried over momentum into the third period as the Yellow Jackets started on a 12-2 run that lasted almost six minutes. Elkins and Zeigler were the dynamic duo, scoring six points each for a 36-27 lead with 4:01 left. The Eagles did not go away, for the final four minutes they engineered a 11-0 run to take a 38-36 lead into the final ten minutes.
- In the final period, offense went cold for the Yellow Jackets, as they were outscored 23-9 as Bridgewater avoided the season sweep with a 61-45 win.
Inside the Numbers
- Bridgewater shot 39.0% from the floor, as Randolph-Macon knocked down only 26.8% of their shots.
- The Yellow Jackets outrebounded 40-to-38. The Yellow Jackets did pull down 14 offensive rebounds to help their cause offensively.
- Elkins finished with 16 points to lead the scoring for RMC. The sophomore also recorded 13 rebounds, blocked one shot and stole one pass.
- Zeigler finished the game with 11 points with five rebounds and one steal.
- Smith was all over the floor for the Lemon and Black for the second straight game. The freshman recorded six points. She also grabbed seven rebounds for a career high and dished out seven assists to tie her career mark.
- Bruce scored nine points on the evening with her touch from behind the arc.
Up Next
Randolph-Macon heads home to welcome in Shenandoah for a conference contest on Feb. 7 for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.
