LYNCHBURG, Va.- The Randolph women's basketball team was looking to halt its seven-game winless streak as it hosted Bluefield State on Wednesday night at the RAD. The WildCats were able to get the victory as they won 53-48 over the Big Blue.

Randolph got out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter. The Big Blue came back to tie and the two teams were locked 8-8 at the completion of the quarter.

The WildCats fell behind in the second quarter as Bluefield State went ahead by three, 17-14, at 7:04. The lead then switched hands twice before Randolph used a 6-3 run to go up 24-23 at the break.

Randolph led for all of the third quarter and was up by as much as six points, 34-28, at 1:02. The 'Cats maintained a lead for the final quarter of play. With a 38-34 lead and 6:14 remaining on the clock, the WildCats went on a 12-3 run to jump ahead 50-37 with just over three minutes remaining. The Big Blue was able to cut their deficit to two points thanks to a 10-0 run and trailed 50-48 with 37 seconds remaining. Randolph was able to convert three free throws and Bluefield State was 0-for-2 behind the three point line as the WildCats left the court with the win.

Randolph shot 17-of-47 from the floor (36.2%) while Bluefield State was 15-of-53 (28.3%). The WildCats, who rank eighth in the NCAA in three-point field goal defense, held the Big Blue to 4-of-21 (19%) from behind the three-point arc.

The WildCats controlled the glass with a 41-38 advantage. Both teams had 20 points in the paint. While Randolph committed 35 turnovers to Bluefield's 30, the Big Blue only outscored the 'Cats 20-19 in points off of turnovers.

"An old fashioned defensive struggle tonight against a very athletic D2 team," said head coach Steve Lanpher. I though our zone defense really limited them however their pressure forced us into too many turnovers."

Kalyn Banks (Clinton, Md./From the Heart Christian School) had her fourth double-double of the season as she scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Yanessa Cabrera (Mansassa, Va./Stonewall Jackson) added seven points, seven steals, four rebounds, and four assists. Amber Garrett (Stephens City, Va./Sherando) and Alyssa Morroni (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) both scored six points with Morroni also coming away with four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.

"Kalyn Banks came up big offensively especially in the second half," noted Lanpher. "Hannah Bane (Blue Ridge, Va./Lord Botetourt) came off of the bench and played most of her minutes providing up with a great spark in defense and she distributed the ball well on offense. This win should give us some confident going into our conference game this Saturday."

Randolph hosts Eastern Mennonite this coming Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The WildCats defeated the Royals back on December 7 65-62.