FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - On New Year's Eve, the WildCats traveled to North Carolina for an afternoon match-up against the Monarchs of Methodist University. Randolph surged a second-half rally to make a comeback, but ultimately fell 61-64. 

The WildCats even their overall record at 6-6.

"Tough outcome today," said head coach Steve Lanpher. "Proud of how we battled back in the second half and had chances to win down the stretch. However, in the first half we were much too careless with the ball which allowed Methodist to have too many shot opportunities."

Randolph had an early 5-2 lead in the opening quarter until a 7-0 run from the Monarchs put them ahead at the 4:30 mark. Their lead narrowed when Kylie Stark drained a three-pointer, assisted by Taniya Jackson, to be down one. The Monarchs responded with a pull-up jumper and a layup to extend their lead by five, 13-8. For the rest of the quarter, the two teams were trading points as the minutes wound down. At the end of the quarter, Monarchs led 19-12.

Out of the gate, the Monarchs went another 7-0 run to push ahead by 14 points, 26-12. The WildCats found some offensive rhythm when Brooklyn Finnerty made a layup off her offensive rebound. The Monarchs then added a jumper of their own to maintain the lead. A pair of free throws for Jackson and a free throw for Finnerty cut into the deficit - the WildCats were down by 11 at the 2:48 mark. To close the quarter, the Monarchs added a jumper and a layup to go up 32-17.

"I thought we made some good adjustments at halftime which allowed us to come all the way back," said Lanpher. "Our defense forced turnovers & we were able to capitalize on those opportunities."

The third quarter saw an offensive battle between the two teams, however, the WildCats outscored the Monarch 25-12. The quarter opened with a pair of free throws for Stark. Not long after, the Monarchs went in for the layup and a steal for the Monarchs led to another layup to put the score at 36-19. The WildCats then went on a 16-2 run to close the gap and only be down by three, 35-38. The Monarchs added a couple of buckets of their own to stay in control in the final minute of the quarter, but a three-pointer from Maddie Pabon, a layup from Kaileigh Gunter, and a pair of free throws for Stark, put the WildCats at 42-44 to end the quarter.

The final quarter was intense as the Monarchs loosely held onto their lead. A free throw and a three-pointer for Methodist opened up the gap but only by six. Randolph quickly responded with a 7-0 run to give them their second lead of the day, 49-48. A pair of free throws for the Monarchs helped get the lead back, only up by one at the 5:09 mark. Both teams continued trading points, not letting either one get too far or too close. Under a minute left, the score was 60-58, Methodist advantage. Randolph looking for one last offensive push to extend this game, but the Monarchs maintained control to walk away with the win.

"The fourth quarter came down to a couple possessions & they were more dependable at the free throw line," said Lanpher.

Randolph shot 39.67% from the field in the first half but improved in the second half shooting 71.8% from the field, going 19-52 overall. From behind the arc, the team was 7-23 (30.4%) overall but was also efficient from the free throw line at 64.0% (16-25). The Wildcats topped the Monarchs on the boards 35-31.

"We got some really good minutes off the bench from Renee, Imani, Kaileigh & Aliyah," said Lanpher. "Kylie had a great second half almost willing us to victory. The bottom line, we need to be more consistent! I truly believe that we have the capability still to accomplish great things this season."

Stark led the WildCats with a new season high of 21 points. She was 11-12 from the free-throw line and had five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Pabon finished with 12 points, going 4-6 from the field and 4-6 from the three-point line. Jackson added seven points with six steals. Simone Brown and Finnerty led the team with six rebounds.

"It's back to ODAC next so hopefully we will grow quickly!" said Lanpher.

The 'Cats return home for ODAC play Saturday when they host Eastern Mennonite in Giles Gymnasium for a 2 p.m. tip-off.