LYNCHBURG, VA – On a night that saw Randolph pay tribute to its lone senior and captain Lauren French (Blairs, VA/Chatham) , Eastern Mennonite went to the line 35 times and controlled the glass in earning a 64-35 victory over the WildCat women's basketball team in league action from the Randolph Athletics and Dance (RAD) Center.

Before the contest, French was honored on Senior Night for her four years of service. The senior guard came into the contest third on the team in scoring. The WildCats (4-10/1-18 ODAC) had trouble scoring in the first half, due to 14 turnovers in the first stanza.

Randolph kept it close in the first half before a 13-0 run midway through the stanza pushed EMU's lead up to double digits. The WildCats were in the game thanks to their defense, which forced the top scoring team in the conference to 24.1 shooting in the first half.

The Royals (19-3/15-3 ODAC) continued to build on the lead in the second half, and shot the ball better from the floor in pulling away for the decisive victory. The WildCats were paced by the effort from Jensen Hoover (Woodstock, VA/Central), who finished with six points and a career-high 13 rebounds.

First-year Bonnie Bishop (Fairfax, VA/Trinity Christian) led the WildCats with eight points, and Bri Lowry (Herndon, VA/Herndon) scored seven points while dishing out three assists and grabbing three rebounds. French posted five points, six rebounds and two blocks in her final home game.

"Lauren has been a huge asset to our basketball team and the program here at Randolph," said head coach Allison Nichols. "She is exactly what you hope for in a student athlete, an extremely hard worker on and off the court. She is a great role model for our younger players to look up to and sets such a good example. Her work ethic and positive attitude will certainly be missed."

Kala Yoders posted a game-high of 16 points for the Royals, who out-rebounded Randolph 50-40 and won the turnover battle 27-14. Bianca Ygarza came off the bench to post 12 points, eight boards and three steals while all but one Royal got into the scoring column. Randolph did hold the potent EMU lineup to its fifth lowest scoring output of the game.

The WildCats will finish their 2011-12 season Saturday afternoon at Washington & Lee University at 4 p.m. in the Warner Center.

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