STAUNTON, Va. - Randolph College women's basketball team earned its first win of the season with a 72-58 road victory over Mary Baldwin on Wednesday night. The WildCats built an early lead and held off the fighting Fighting Squirrels to secure the victory.

The Fighting Squirrels got on the board first, making one of two free throws. The WildCats scored their first points off a jumper from Makiah Scott. Scott extended that with a three-pointer off a Mary Baldwin turnover followed by a fastbreak layup from Lexanna Oge. Sophia Stevens added a layup of her own and Maddie Pabon drained a three-pointer for a WildCat 12-0 run to lead 12-1 with 4:07 to go in the first quarter.

After about a five-minute scoring drought, MBU netted six free throws to close the gap, 12-7, however it was all Randolph in the closing minutes with an 8-0 run to lead 20-7 at the end of the opening quarter.

Out of the short break, the Fighting Squirrels fought back scoring a total of 16 points to the WildCats' 17 points in the second quarter. Both teams traded baskets back-and-forth with Randolph maintaining their lead the entire time. The half ended with Randolph up by 14 points, 37-23.

Another tightly contested quarter for both teams. The WildCats jumped out to a 17-point lead with a jumper from Pabon, a layup from Pariz Minor, and a steal and layup from Pabon, 43-26. The Fighting Squirrels respond with a couple of baskets of their own to close within 11 points at the 8:10 minute mark. Once again, points were being traded back-and-forth between the teams. This quarter Mary Baldwin outscored Randolph 17-14. The WildCats maintained their lead 51-40 heading into the final 10 minutes.

The final quarter saw Mary Baldwin close within eight points since the first quarter with 6:27 to go; Randolph leading 55-47. Randolph responded with an 8-4 run to extend its lead to 12 with just under four minutes left. With the clock winding down, Mary Baldwin was looking for the comeback, but Randolph had the advantage with a 9-7 run to close out the game and seal the victory.

Three WildCats got into double-digits points; Pabon led the WildCats with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and added six assists and three steals. Scott contributed 14 points and four assists, while Minor posted 12 points and eight rebounds. Oge chipped in nine points and seven boards, helping Randolph control the glass with 44 total rebounds.

The team shot 41.4% from the field, including 24% from beyond the arc, and outscored Mary Baldwin 38-23 in points off turnovers. Randolph also generated 11 fast-break points and 14 second-chance points, showing balanced offensive production from both starters and the bench. The team also had 17 totaled steals and 18 totaled assists.

With the win, Randolph improves to 1-1 overall. The WildCats are back on the road Saturday as the team heads to Johnson & Wales (N.C.) for a 2 p.m. tip-off.