SAN JUAN, PR - Randolph College Women's Basketball returned to the court for game two of the Puerto Rico Classic this afternoon as they faced SUNY Oneonta. The WildCats fared well holding a one point lead at the half, but the Red Dragons came back in the second half to come away with a 54-49 victory.

"Disappointing outcome tonight," said head coach Steve Lanpher. "Our energy and effort was outstanding, however, we just had too many lapses in defense and we struggled shooting the ball both from the floor and free throw line."

The opening quarter saw a defensive battle between the two teams as both teams worked to establish their offensive rhythm. Oneonta took an early 2-0 lead with a pair of free throws. The Red Dragons extended their lead, 4-0, following a jumper. Randolph got on the board with a jumper from Taniya Jackson to close the gap, it then was followed by a three-pointer from Renee Clines to give the WildCats its first lead, 5-4. Teniyah Crenshaw-Patterson added a fast-break layup, pushing the 'Cats lead, 7-4, with 3:46 remaining. An offensive rebound for Maddie Pabon led to a tip-in basket, the WildCats were up by five. Oneonta responded with a layup and a jumper to cut the deficit to one, however, to close out the quarter, Clines hit her second three-pointer to give Randolph a 12-8 advantage.

The second quarter saw a back-and-forth battle as both teams traded buckets and defensive stops. Oneonta struck first, going on a 6-0 run to tie the game 12-all and eventually take the lead, 14-12. Kylie Stark pulled up with a quick three-point play after sinking a jumper and converted the free throw to reclaim the lead at 15-14. Stark continued her offensive pressure, draining a three-pointer to push the lead. Oneonta remained active on offense to close the gap, but Randolph's defense held firm. The Red Dragons finally broke through to bring the score within two, 16-18, with 3:20 remaining. Both teams continued to dominate offensively on their sides of the court, grabbing rebounds and creating scoring opportunities. The quarter ended with the WildCats clinging to a one-point lead heading into halftime, 21-20.

In the third, Oneonta opened the scoring with a pair of free throws to take the lead 22-21. Minutes later, the Red Dragons extended their lead with a three-pointer, making it 25-21.The WildCats quickly responded back with Clines hitting a jumper in the paint to cut the deficit, however a 6-1 run from Oneonta pushed their lead to 31-24. The Red Dragons maintained control to widen the margin. Despite the WildCats' struggles to convert offensively, Imani Hardin hit a timely three-pointer with just over a minute remaining, trimming the deficit to 30-36. The quarter ended with Oneonta draining a jumper to close the frame at 38-30.

Randolph fought to close the gap in the fourth quarter. The WildCats opened the quarter aggressively, after a made three-pointer from Oneonta. Crenshaw-Patterson responded with a strong offensive stretch, contributing a layup, a three-pointer, and free throws from Crenshaw-Patterson and Clines, to pull the WildCats within five points midway through the quarter. Clines added a fast break layup to narrow the gap to just four points at 43-39. However, Oneonta did not back down and answered each push with timely buckets, including a three-pointer, baskets inside the paint, and converting on free throws to maintain the lead, 51-42. Stark and Pabon made a final push for Randolph, each hitting a three-pointer to bring it back to a five-point game with 19 seconds left, however, offensive struggles prevented a Randolph comeback.

Randolph struggled offensively, but came alive in the fourth quarter shooting 60% from the field and 50% from the three-point range that fueled a late rally. 

"I am really pleased with Renee, as she has provided scoring and defensive efforts for us," said Lanpher. "I believe in this team and know we'll continue to work and hopefully be able to improve our offensive efficiency."

Crenshaw-Patterson led the team, matching a season-high of 14 points, along with four rebounds and three assists. Stark and Clines added 12 points each and five rebounds each. Pabon contributed five points, along with Jackson and Hardin with three points.

The 'Cats return home to travel to Methodist University for a non-conference match-up. Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 31.