ASHLAND, Va. – Randolph-Macon women's basketball put on its best offensive performance of the season, thanks to a career-high 24 points from
Riley White (Hamilton, Va./Virginia Academy) and a first-ever double-double from
Sam Smith (Chesterfield, Va./St. Gertrudes).
The Basics:
Score: Randolph-Macon 77, Roanoke 71
Venue: Ashland, Va. // Crenshaw Gymnasium // Randolph-Macon College
Records: Randolph-Macon (11-6, 5-3 ODAC), Roanoke (7-10, 1-7 ODAC)
How it Happened
- Both programs opened the game with some impressive offensive performances, but White got her team out to an early 5-2 lead after Erin Porter (Virginia Beach, Va./Kettle Run) found White in the corner for her first triple of the contest. While Roanoke recaptured a 10-7 lead after converting on an and-one, a bucket from McKenzie Matheny (Fairfax Station, Va./West Springfield) and another three-ball from White pushed RMC back ahead, 12-10, with 5:16 remaining in the quarter. With 3:11 to go, RMC hit back-to-back baseline jumpers to increase the lead to 16-13, as Smith found Emion Byers (Louisa County, Va./Louisa) first, followed by a Liz Wyrick (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day) to Madison Langdon (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) connection. To close out the quarter, Byers found a cutting White to keep RMC ahead, 18-17 after one.
- With 7:20 to go in the second quarter, Porter got on the board, as she converted on a crafty drive to the hoop, before Smith found Matheny in the pick-and-roll on the next possession to put RMC up, 24-20. After only allowing one field goal from the Maroons for five minutes, Smith found White for another layup, followed by a layup of her own, to push the Yellow Jackets' lead to 31-24 with 2:30 to go in the half. With 1:25 left, Smith pulled down a rebound and found Wyrick on a fastbreak layup, giving the Lemon and Black a 34-26 lead at the break.
- Roanoke had some momentum to begin the third, as they cut the deficit to six after two consecutive layups before White laced another three, courtesy of Smith, to keep RMC up 39-33 with 7:59 left in the third. With 3:53 on the clock in the third, a three-pointer from Abigail Rice put the Maroons right back within one, down 45-46, as this is the closest they were since the start of the contest. Smith responded quickly, as the junior guard found Byers in the paint for a layup, before pushing the pace for two of her own, getting her squad back out to a 51-45 advantage. The Maroons then started to knock down their shots, as they knotted the contest at 51 with just over a minute remaining in the frame. Then, Smith and White buried shots from downtown on back-to-back possessions, giving RMC the chance to apply pressure heading into the fourth, 57-53.
- Randolph-Macon surged offensively to open the fourth, constructing a 7-0 run in the first 1:50, thanks to two buckets from Wyrick and yet another three-pointer from White. With the lead, the Yellow Jackets were able to work the ball into the paint, and it was Matheny scoring three layups in four minutes to get RMC an 11-point lead, up 74-63 with 3:23 to go. White Roanoke was able to come alive from beyond the arc toward the end, free throws from White, Smith and Porter solidified RMC's highest-scoring game of the season.
Inside the Numbers
- Randolph-Macon led Roanoke in field goal percentage (54.7-to-45.5), three-point percentage (35.3-to-31.6) rebounds (33-to-29) and assists (21-to-7).
- The Yellow Jackets defense still shined, as they limited their fouls to 16 while Roanoke had 25. They also tallied three blocks, compared to one from the Maroons.
- White's career-high 24 points came from career-bests in field goals made (eight) and three-pointers made (five).
- Furthermore, she shot 8-of-10 from the field, including five-of-seven from downtown, marking the best shooting splits of her career.
- Smith finished the contest with 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, marking her first-career double-double.
- Her 10 assists are tied for the best of her career and her 4.4 dimes-per-game leads the ODAC.
- Matheny finished the game with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, while shooting an efficient seven-of-nine from the field.
- The senior has now reached the double-digit scoring mark in each of her last nine games, including 20-or-more in each of her past two.
Up Next
The Lemon and Black have each of their next two games on the road, as they will first travel to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to take on Eastern Mennonite University at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28.
