BALTIMORE, Md. – Behind a team-high 21 points from
Sam Smith (Chesterfield, Va./St. Gertrudes), Randolph-Macon earned its third-straight season-opening win, taking down #7 Johns Hopkins on the road.
The Basics:
Score: (RV) Randolph-Macon 63, #7 Johns Hopkins 59
Venue: Baltimore, Pa. // Goldfarb Gymnasium // Johns Hopkins University
Records: (RV) Randolph-Macon (1-0, 0-0 ODAC), #7 Johns Hopkins (1-1, 0-0 Centennial)
How it Happened
- Randolph-Macon doubled Johns Hopkins 10-5 through the first 4:37 of the season-opener, as Smith and Riley White (Hamilton, Va./Virginia Academy) assisted each other on threes, while Liz Wyrick (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day) dropped in two consecutive layups. Once Smith converted on a layup to extend the lead to seven, the Blue Jays went on a 10-2 run to capture a 15-14 edge, with four different players hitting shots. Wyrick located Smith for a midrange jumper before the senior came down and scored on the following possession, giving RMC an 18-15 lead. To close the first, Wyrick assisted Smith yet again to cap off a personal 6-2 run, resulting in a 20-19 score.
- RMC used a hook shot and layup from Wyrick, followed by White's second triple to pace 27-21 1:21 into the frame. JHU countered with back-to-back threes but AK Chance (Wilmington, N.C./John T. Hoggard) had the answer, as she buried a three for her first collegiate points, with the feed coming from Madison Langdon (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic). Johns Hopkins would not let the deficit grow, as it used a pair of free throws and mid-range jumper to earn a one-point edge. Erin Porter (Virginia Beach, Va./Kettle Run) got on the board and White cashed in on her third shot from downtown of the half, propelling the Lemon and Black to a 37-35 lead at the break.
- The home team opened the scoring 2:26 into the third on a triple, taking a 38-37 lead to resume the series of lead changes between the two programs. White put her squad on the board halfway through the quarter with a free throw and then a driving Porter found Chance open for a corner for a trifecta, taking a 41-40 edge with just over two minutes left in the third. Anna Wilcox (Asheville, N.C./A.C. Reynolds) stepped in and forced a turnover from the hosts before coming down and scoring a layup to give the Lemon and Black some momentum. She then went and converted on a jumper with five seconds on the clock, sending her team to the final period with a 45-42 lead.
- Johns Hopkins used a series of offense rebounds to string together a 5-0 run to begin the fourth. White responded 2:30 into the fourth with a layup and the Blue Jays registered one of their own on the next possession. With under five to go, an offensive rebound from Chance led to another bucket from Wilcox, tying the game at 49 a piece. The Yellow Jackets worked to put together a 6-2 run with under three minutes to play, as Wyrick nailed back-to-back close range shots before Smith notched her 15th point on a jumper, forcing a full timeout from JHU. Porter got a layup to go out of the break to make the lead six but the Blue Jays immediately sank a three, putting the score at 57-54 with 59 seconds left. Randolph-Macon took fouls from Johns Hopkins down the stretch and Smith rose to the occasion, icing all six to solidify an incredible 63-59 season-opening win.
Inside the Numbers
- Randolph-Macon outscored Johns Hopkins in each of the four quarters.
- RMC led in field goal percentage (36.9-to-34.3) and three-point percentage (37.5-to-25.0).
- The Yellow Jackets also held the edge in total rebounds (44-to-43) and defensive rebounds (33-to-31).
- The Lemon and Black trailed nine-to-11 in turnovers, while leading four-to-one in steals.
- Smith tied her career-high with 21 points on seven-of-17 shooting, while adding six rebounds and two steals.
- Wyrick's 14 points is the second-most she has ever recorded in a single game. She also grabbed four rebounds and dropped a team-high three assists.
- White finished third on the team with 12 points while nailing three shots from deep. She also had RMC's lone block.
- In her collegiate debut, Chance racked up a team-high nine rebounds and six points across 28 minutes.
For the Record
- This is Randolph-Macon's highest-ranked win since the team defeated #6 Johns Hopkins in overtime on November 23, 2024.
- RMC has now won three consecutive season-opening contests.
- The Yellow Jackets improve to 3-0 all-time against the Blue Jays.
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets travel to Virginia Beach, Va., to participate in the TowneBank Tipoff Tournament hosted by Batten University. RMC will take on Swarthmore at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, before facing Notre Dame of Maryland the following day at 3:00 p.m.
