SALEM, Va. – After outscoring Bridgewater 23-8 in the first quarter, Randolph-Macon never looked back, as the Yellow Jackets extended their win streak to 11 and advance to the ODAC Final for the second consecutive season.
The Basics:
Score: Randolph-Macon 57, Bridgewater 43
Venue: Salem, Va. // Salem Civic Center
Records: Randolph-Macon (21-6, 13-3 ODAC), Bridgewater (20-7, 12-4 ODAC)
How it Happened
- Over the course of the first 5:56, the Randolph-Macon offense found itself on fire, as back-to-back threes from Erin Porter (Virginia Beach, Va./Kettle Run) drove the Yellow Jackets on a 15-2 run. After a triple from Sam Smith (Chesterfield, Va./St. Gertrudes) and free throws from McKenzie Matheny (Fairfax Station, Va./West Springfield) capped off the run, the Eagles hit their first field goal of the game with 2:00 left on the clock. On the following possession, Matheny got a layup to go before an Emion Byers (Louisa County, Va./Louisa) steal led to back-to-back driving layups from Smith, closing out the frame with an impeccable 23-8 lead.
- While Garcia hit a pair of free throws to start the scoring in the second quarter, Smith found Porter who laced her third shot from downtown of the evening, keeping the Yellow Jackets ahead, 26-10. At the 6:16 mark, Byers knocked down two from the charity stripe before she converted on a layup thanks to a feed from Matheny, keeping the momentum with the Lemon and Black. RMC continued to attack from all angles, as Liz Wyrick (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day) and Madison Langdon (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) dropped in layups to extend the advantage to 34-14, highlighting the depth of the roster. Two more free throws from Langdon capped the second frame with a 36-16 Lemon and Black lead, as they held the Eagles to just eight points in the quarter.
- Byers located Matheny for RMC's first bucket of the third, before knocking down a jumper of her own to give her team a 22-point lead with 6:09 to play. Even though Bridgewater hit a jumpshot on the following possession, a triple from Smith ignited an 8-0 run for the Lemon and Black, which included a scoop-and-score from Porter on the fastbreak. While it was Bridgewater getting the final point of the frame, Randolph-Macon held the Eagles to five points in the entire frame, with the final 8:53 of the third being a 12-3 run for RMC.
- The Eagles had their best start to a quarter in the fourth, as they generated a quick three layups in the first 1:28 of play. Two close-range jumpers from Wyrick and a deuce from Byers helped to stabilize RMC, as it led 54-31 with 5:47 to go. BC did not let up, as it constructed a 7-0 run over a 1:29 span to decrease RMC's lead to 54-38. Riley White (Hamilton, Va./Virginia Academy) provided a bullseye from deep with 1:26 left to end the run, thanks to Wyrick's second dime of the night. The Eagles tallied the final five points of the contest in the remaining 1:13 to make the score 43-57, but it was Randolph-Macon punching its ticket to the ODAC Finals once again.
Inside the Numbers
- Randolph-Macon's defense shined, as its 16 points allowed in the first half marks the second-fewest points allowed in any half this season.
- In following suit on defense, RMC outrebounded BC 42-to-39, including 29-to-25 on the defensive glass.
- The Yellow Jackets held the Eagles to just 22.0 percent (11/50) from the field, including a season low 0.0 percent (0/14) from three point range.
- On the other hand, RMC knocked down 36.2 percent of its shots, including 64.29 percent (9/14) in the first quarter.
- Porter led the team with 14 points on five-of-10 shooting, as the sophomore added four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
- Smith and Wyrick each totaled seven rebounds in the contest, as the duo linked for 16 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and one steal.
- Byers pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, which ties her season-high. The forward also tied her season-high with two steals and racked up a block and an assist.
- In just 21 minutes, Matheny finished third in the contest with 12 points on 50.0 percent shooting (four-of-eight). She also stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high four free throws made, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
For the Record
- After accumulating 12 points in the contest, Matheny surpassed her 2024-25 point total (371), marking a new single-season career-high with 376. Additionally, after sinking four baskets, she now sits at 154 field goals made this season, surpassing last year's total (150).
- Smith grabbed seven rebounds in the contest to bring her total on the season to 132. This value ties her single-season personal best, as she grabbed 132 in last year's campaign.
Up Next
#2 Women's hoops advances to the ODAC Finals, where they will face #1 Washington and Lee at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, in the Salem Civic Center.
