ASHLAND, Va. - Randolph-Macon women's basketball won its sixteenth straight game, behind a 31 point performance by
McKenzie Matheny (Fairfax Station, Va./West Springfield), defeating Virginia Wesleyan 73-49.
The Basics:
Score: (RV) Randolph-Macon 73, Virginia Wesleyan 49
Venue: Ashland, Va. // Crenshaw Gym // Randolph-Macon College
Records: Randolph-Macon (17-1, 10-0 ODAC), Virginia Wesleyan (5-12, 1-9 ODAC)
How it Happened:
- Randolph-Macon would get huge minutes from Matheny to begin the game, scoring the first six points for the Yellow Jackets. Virginia Wesleyan would stick to the pace of the game and trailed only 8-6 at the media timeout. Marisa Ziegler (Forest Hill, Md./John Carroll) knocked down a three ball to extend the lead for the Lemon and Black with 4:57 left in the period. Matheny would end the first period with eight points with a basket with a minute on the clock to give Randolph-Macon a 13-8 lead.
- In the second period, Virginia Wesleyan started with a quick 6-0 run to take the lead 14-13 with 8:49 on the clock. The Yellow Jackets would turn the intensity up offensively with a 12-0 run, led by Juliana Park (Fairfax Station, Va./Davidson Day) and Matheny that combined for nine points. Randolph-Macon held the lead 25-14 and kept the Marlins to a ten point deficit or more for the majority of the period. Virginia Wesleyan was able to make a run toward the end of the period, cutting the deficit to 30-26 with just over a minute left. Matheny continued her dominance in the paint, scoring the final six points of the period and giving the Lemon and Black a 36-28 lead at halftime.
- Both teams were trading made baskets for the first six minutes of the third period and two Catherine Kagey (Roanoke, Va./Faith Christian) free throws were able to push the lead to 47-34 for the Yellow Jackets. The Marlins managed to only get as close as seven points, as Kagey and Matheny were a dynamite duo to keep the momentum Randolph-Macon's side and take a 53-44 lead into the final ten minutes.
- In the fourth period, the Yellow Jackets played high intensity basketball to slam the door on the Marlins. Matheny led a 14-0 run to begin the first five minutes of the final ten, scoring eight points to push the lead to 67-44. The run was able to help secure a 73-49 victory and the sixteenth win in a row for the Yellow Jackets.
Inside the Numbers:
- Randolph-Macon shot 49.2 percent from the floor, as Virginia Wesleyan knocked down 39.2 percent of its shots.
- The Marlins outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 36-to-32 in the entire game.
- Matheny led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with a career high 31 points on 15-for-18 shooting (83.3 percent). The junior also pulled down eight rebounds, had three blocks and one assist.
- Kagey notched 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the game. The senior also had two blocks and two steals.
- Ziegler ended the night with eight points, three assists and two steals. The senior also knocked down both of her three-point attempts.
- Sam Smith (Chesterfield, Va./St. Gertrudes) recorded a career high with ten assists to go along with three points and three steals.
- Bella Bruce (Herndon, Va./Westfield) had a team high with three blocked shots, adding to her three points and two assists.
For the Record:
- The 25 team assists was the most since 2/15/23 against Lynchburg.
- The nine blocked shots was the most since 2/15/23 against Lynchburg.
Up Next
Randolph-Macon will head to Washington and Lee to take on the nationally ranked Generals on Saturday, Feb. 1, for a 2 p.m. conference clash.
