ASHLAND, Va. – Randolph-Macon closed the game on a 19-7 run over the final 6:30 to defeat Guilford 80-74 in ODAC women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Crenshaw Gymnasium.
Junior Taylor Huber (Ashland, Va./Patrick Henry) led all scorers with 26 points. Sophomore Katie Anderson (Beaverdam, Va./Patrick Henry) had 15 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Sarah Parsons (Glen Allen, Va./J.R. Tucker) added 13. Freshman Marisha Berry (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) had four points, four rebounds, three assists and five steals for the Yellow Jackets (18-5, 11-3 ODAC).
The Quakers (16-6, 8-5) jumped out to a quick 14-7 lead in the game's first three minutes. The Yellow Jackets trailed by five at 22-17 before a 13-4 spurt gave Guilford its largest lead of the half at 14 (35-21) with 7:25 remaining in the period. R-MC would get within eight, but trailed 45-33 at the break. The Quakers shot 57.1% from the floor (20-35) and held a 26-17 advantage on the boards in the first half. Huber led the Yellow Jackets with 13 points in the first period, hitting a pair of three-pointers and going 7 for 8 from the free throw line.
Guilford maintained its lead early in the second half. The Quakers led 61-49 with 11:45 remaining before an 11-2 run by the Yellow Jackets made it 63-60 with 8:30 left. Guilford pushed the lead back to six at 67-61 before a 6-1 spurt got R-MC within one at 68-67 with four minutes remaining. Parsons had a steal and a layup to give the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game at 69-68 with 3:30 left. Layups by Huber and Anderson capped a 12-1 run to give R-MC an edge of 73-68 with 2:30 to go. Anderson converted a three-point play with 53 seconds left to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 78-72. Parsons had a layup with 18 seconds left to cap the scoring.
R-MC had 16 steals and forced 24 turnovers. The Yellow Jackets were 24 of 36 (.667) from the free throw line, while Guilford was just 8 for 15 (.533).
Randolph-Macon returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 19 with a 7 p.m. ODAC contest at Washington & Lee.