VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Randolph College women's basketball team's season concluded on Monday evening as the WildCats fell to host Virginia Wesleyan University, 60-45, in the first round of the 2018 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament.

"We played hard and gave Virginia Wesleyan a fight and that is all I asked of them tonight," said head coach Andrea Kendall. "Today was uncharted territory for six of our players but they showed no fear. The energy from the bench was electric and we would not have been in the game without them."

The Marlins took an 8-5 lead early on in the beginning of game play but the WildCats were able to close the gap off a Kalyn Banks (Clinton, Md./From The Heart Christian School) layup, before Daijah Johnson (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) jump shot gave Randolph its first lead of the night (9-8). The Marlins responded with a 5-0 run of their own for a 13-9 advantage, however a jump shot made by Sarah Wright (Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover) placed the WildCats with a two-point deficit (13-11) heading into the second period.

A second quarter 10-1 push handed Randolph a comfortable 21-14 lead with 6:08 remaining on the clock. However, the Marlins would dominate the rest of the period as Virginia Wesleyan grabbed the lead off an 11-0 run for a 25-21 lead at halftime.

Coming out of the break, Virginia Wesleyan continued its dominant performance as the Marlins put up a 10-2 run for a 35-23 lead. The WildCats slowly chipped away at the deficit, roping the score to 35-29 off a 6-0 burst, but the Marlins managed to evade the WildCats yet again as they increased the point gap to 44-33 at the conclusion of third quarter.

The Marlins pushed their lead all the way to 51-35 at the 5:57 mark of the final period but after a brief timeout called by Randolph, the WildCats put up seven straight points to trim the deficit to 51-42. However, this would be the closest Randolph would get to the Marlins as solid shooting beyond the arc sent Virginia Wesleyan ahead to the final 60-46 tally.

"DJ was exceptional on both ends of the floor," stated Kendall. "To lead our offense for 39 minutes and dish out seven assists all the while, at times, guarding one of the best players in our league is a great way to end her career. Foul trouble hurt both Taylor and Kalyn but they have played harder than I have ever seen them play"

"Lauren was tough and did exactly what we asked her to do – rebound the ball," continued Kendall. "Maura played a great game; she had no turnovers in 34 minutes, while being guarded by their best defenders, which is huge for her. We also received some quality minutes from our freshmen."

Johnson posted 12 points and seven assists for Randolph while Wright put up nine points off the bench and Taylor Samuels (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) recorded eight points. Defensively, Lauren Moore (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) and Jade Jarvis (Sugar Grove, Va./Rural Retreat) each pulled down seven boards in the loss.

"I am incredibly proud of our team, especially our seniors," said head coach Andrea Kendall. "Words could never explain my love for our players and staff. Our future is bright."

The WildCats conclude the season with a 5-20 overall record and a 2-14 ODAC record.