LYNCHBURG, Va, - In an intense rivalry matchup, the Randolph College women's basketball team secured a hard-fought 62-59 victory over Lynchburg in the Crosstown Battle.. 

"Wow... What a win for us tonight," said head coach Steve Lanpher. "I thought we fed off our great crowd tonight. We started a little slow but continued to execute. The second quarter we forced turnovers and capitalized on transition baskets to take the lead." 

The Hornets opened up the scoring early with two three-pointers to lead 6-0. A pair of free throws from Renee Clines got the WildCats on the board. The quarter went with both teams trading buckets back-and-forth, but it was a 12-8 run with 4:39 to go for the WildCats to close out the quarter being only down by two, 16-18. Three minutes in the second quarter, Maddie Pabon hit a three-pointer, to take the lead for the WildCats, 20-18. Consistent defensive pressure and a 11-4 run for the WildCats was all they needed to close out the first half, 31-22.

The third quarter, both teams started out fast, hitting three-pointers and layups. At 7:55, the WildCats were up 38-28 over the Hornets. An added layup from the Hornets narrowed the score to an eight point deficit. However, the two teams were not letting off the gas going on a 12-12 run to close out the quarter, 50-40, Randolph advantage. 

We got up double digits in the fourth and I thought we got a little tight and defensively missed some assignments which allowed them to comeback," said Lanpher. "We had several good looks but the shots just didn't fall but more importantly we stayed composed down the stretch."

The fourth quarter saw an offensive push for the Hornets. A 12-2 run on four three-pointers for Hornets put the score at 52-all with 7:20 to go. The Hornets took the lead with a layup at the 5:38 mark. The WildCats out a media timeout found their last offensive push to lead them to the end. A 10-5 run from the 'Cats ended the game and victory under their belts.

I thought we got really good minutes from Ravyn Gill at the point guard position,' said Lanpher. "Rebounding wise... Simone, Tee and Kylie really stepped up and gave us an advantage in that area.  I thought Tee was aggressive on both ends and that's what we need from her!"

 Kylie Stark led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Teniyah Crenshaw-Patterson added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Pabon provided a spark off the bench with nine points, hitting three 3-pointers. Clines also added nine points, three assists and three steals. Simone Brown dominated the glass with nine rebounds. The WildCats shot 35.4% from the field and 30.8% from beyond the arc, while their defense converted 11 steals into 17 points off turnovers. They were also efficient from the line going 72.7%.

"I really loved our energy and unselfishness tonight," said Lanpher

The 'Cats are back home on Saturday when they face the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan University at 2 p.m.