ASHLAND, Va. – Sophomore Kelly Williams (Garysburg, N.C. / Halifax Academy) had the best performance of her career thus far, tallying 34 point and 22 rebounds – a career high in points and a career high-tying effort for rebounds – in a 78-73 win over #14 Marymount.
The Saints never got a lead nor a tie in a fairly dominating performance for the Yellow Jackets in their first game out.
Randolph-Macon took a commanding 10-3 lead in the first quarter and ended up having a 23-9 advantage heading into the second period. R-MC shot 64% compared to Marymount's 25% in the first frame, helping the team take the commanding lead.
The Yellow Jackets used an 8-4 run to put themselves up even more heading into halftime. R-MC held a 42-26 lead going into the break. Williams, who had already collected her double-double for the night, had seven points in the frame and collected seven rebounds.
If the first half was good – the second half started out even better for the Yellow Jackets. Over the course of three minutes, R-MC expanded its lead with a 10-2 run, taking the 20 point advantage. It left the third quarter with a 62-43 advantage.
But the Saints tried their best to come back in the fourth quarter. Marymount shot 50% for the frame and used a 13-5 run at the beginning of the quarter to get back within 12. MU used its sharp shooting to score ten in the final two and a half minutes, but R-MC was able to hold off the attack to win 78-73.
Outside of Williams' huge numbers, the Yellow Jackets also got a banner day from junior Jayla Wade (Newport News, Va. / Heritage). She finished with 17 points, while freshman Becca Arrington (Amelia, Va. / Amelia Academy) had eight points coming off the bench. Junior Kelsey Wisner (York, Pa. / Central York) directed the offense from the point and tallied five points and five assists. Senior Teal Reynolds (Sterling, Va. / Potomac Falls) and sophomore Charlotte Woods (Richmond, Va. / Trinity) each had seven points, with Reynolds also contributing four assists and Woods tallying six rebounds.
For the game, R-MC shot 48% from the field, including 4-10 from beyond the arc. The team totaled 52 rebounds, eight blocks and eight steals. Williams had six of the eight blocks. Marymount was only able to shoot 41% from the field and had the same 4-10 mark that R-MC for three-point field goals.
Randolph-Macon is now set to host the Tip-Off Classic sponsored by Riesbeck Contracting this weekend. The team will play Juniata on Friday at 6:00 PM and face Methodist (N.C.) on Saturday at 4:00 PM.