HARRISONBURG, Va. – Randolph-Macon women's basketball turned in a season-high 59 rebounds against Eastern Mennonite, en route to its second consecutive victory.
The Basics:
Score: Randolph-Macon 56, Eastern Mennonite 41
Venue: Harrisonburg, Va. // Yoder Arena // Eastern Mennonite University
Records: Randolph-Macon (12-6, 6-3 ODAC), Eastern Mennonite (5-13, 0-9 ODAC)
How it Happened
- Eastern Mennonite controlled the pace of play for the first 4:50, as the Royals established a 7-1 lead after Lauren Townsend hit a three and converted on a layup. Once McKenzie Matheny (Fairfax Station, Va./West Springfield) registered RMC's first bucket to cut the run, the Yellow Jackets rallied back to an 11-11 tie with 1:36 to play in the first, after triples from Sam Smith (Chesterfield, Va./St. Gertrudes) and Riley White (Hamilton, Va./Virginia Academy). After the 10-4 run, the Lemon and Black only trailed by two, 11-13, heading into the second.
- On the Yellow Jackets' second possession of the quarter, Madison Langdon (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) connected on a three-ball to give her team a 16-13 lead just 1:06 into the frame. After no baskets for over three minutes, RMC was able to do damage at the free-throw line, as it was Anna Wilcox (Asheville, N.C./A.C. Reynolds) and Matheny going two-for-two to push the Yellow Jackets out to a 20-15 advantage. For the back half of the frame, RMC's offense started to percolate, as two layups from Erin Porter (Virginia Beach, Va./Kettle Run) bookended another deep three from Smith, creating a 27-18 cushion for the road team heading into the break.
- While the Royals earned the first points of the third frame, it was the Lemon and Black who assembled a 13-0 run over the first 6:46. Smith dropped in back-to-back fastbreak layups, while Wilcox and Porter buried threes, giving the Yellow Jackets a 40-20 lead. Even though a three-pointer from EMU's Grace Burke ended the scoring streak, a three ball from Brielle Baughman (East Berlin, Pa./Delone Catholic) and deuce from Liz Wyrick (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day) gave RMC its biggest lead of the night, as they paced the Royals 45-23 after three.
- Eastern Mennonite hit shots from distance and from the midrange on their first two opportunities in the fourth, cutting RMC's lead to 45-28. Rachael Anderson (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) quickly responded with a layup of her own, before finding Porter who drilled another three, putting her team back ahead, 52-29 with 6:37 remaining in the contest. While the Royals hit jumpers on five of their last eight possessions, layups from Matheny and Anderson sealed a 56-41 win for Randolph-Macon.
Inside the Numbers
- Randolph-Macon's season-high 59 rebounds surpassed 32 from Mennonite, as its 21 offensive rebounds outshined five from EMU.
- Five Yellow Jackets tallied five-or-more rebounds in tonight's contest, including both Matheny and White, who pulled down 10.
- White's 10 rebounds marks a career-high, as she also added three points and three blocks.
- After finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a steal, Matheny has now earned a double-double in back-to-back contests.
- Porter led the game in points (12) and field goals made (five), while also adding a career-high seven rebounds, a steal and block. The sophomore guard has now totaled 10-or-more points in each of her last four games on the road.
- Smith finished second in the game with 11 points, as she also accumulated six rebounds. She has grabbed six boards in each of her last two games and five-or-more in 10 of her last 11 games played.
For the Record
- This win marked the 100th-career victory for Head Coach Lindsey Burke-Eberhart. The sixth-year head coach reached the century mark in just six seasons, with a total record of 100-31.
Up Next
The Lemon and Black travel to Lynchburg, Virginia, for an afternoon 2:00 p.m. road contest against the Lynchburg Hornets on Saturday, January 31.
