Gerni Ties ODAC Record for Threes against Randolph
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Sophomore Amanda Gerni tied the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) record for three-pointers in a game as she connected on 10 tries in a 74-72 loss to Randolph College Saturday.
Gerni's effort matches the record of 10, set twice by Eastern Mennonite's Emily Mullet in the 2000-01 season against Shenandoah University and against against Washington and Lee University. She also topped the Virginia Wesleyan record of eight, set by Jill Weston against Salisbury University on January 19, 2008.
Randolph held a 24-20 lead after a high-scoring first quarter. Taylor Samuels had eight points, three assists, and two rebounds while the WildCats shot 52.4% from the floor.
Gerni connected on three of her trifectas in the opening period, going 3-4 from the field, all from beyond the arc, to post nine points in the quarter.
The teams went back and forth in the second, with the Marlins rallying for a 43-43 halftime tie.
Randolph went on a 5-1 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter to jump out in front 48-44 behind a three-pointer from Danielle Rizzari and a Jacqueline Hockman jumper. That lead lasted the duration of the quarter, as the WildCats outscored the Marlins 20-15 to take a 63-58 edge into the final period.
Defense was the key to the fourth quarter as the first field goal for either team did not occur until 3:55 into the quarter.
Virginia Wesleyan scored the first points on a pair of Jayla Harris free throws at 7:29 to cut the lead to 63-60. Gerni poured in a three-pointer at 6:05 to tie up the contest. That crucial basket was Gerni's 10th three of the game and the record-tier.
Harris continued the 7-0 Marlin run when she connected on a jumper with 5:13 to go, making it 65-63.
Samuels ended the run on the WildCats next possession up the floor, scoring a layup off a Jessica Boney assist as she cut through the lane. Rizzari found Alexis Calloway after a VWC turnover to swing the lead back to the WildCats with under four minutes to play.
The squads exchanged baskets until the final minute when the Marlins found themselves down 71-69. A missed jumper was corralled on the offensive end by Crystal Strother, who found Gerni, who kicked it out to Harris on the baseline for a three-pointer and the 72-71 lead with 45 seconds left.
Randolph held the Marlins to 0-4 shooting the remainder of the game, allowing Samuels to give the WildCats a 73-72 lead with 32 seconds to play. A Hockman free throw produced the final tally.
It is the first time Randolph has defeated the Marlins since going co-educational prior to the 2007-08 school year. The last time the WildCats defeated Virginia Wesleyan was in 2006-07, an 82-70 victory in Lynchburg, snapping a string of 18-straight wins in the series for VWC.
Samuels led Randolph (3-3/1-1) with 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Rizzari tallied 12 points as Korin Harris contributed 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Gerni finished with a career-high 30 points on 10-16 shooting, going 10-14 from three-point range. Harris posted 18 points and four assists while Alexis Platt corralled a game-best 10 rebounds.
Virginia Wesleyan (4-3/1-1) travels to The Apprentice School (2-4) Thursday for a 6 p.m. start.