CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Randolph women's basketball team dropped a tight 55–50 battle on the road at Johnson & Wales (Charlotte) on Saturday afternoon. The WildCats stayed within reach all game, trailing by just three at halftime and entering the fourth quarter down 45–41, but struggled to convert late as JWU held on.
Randolph opened the scoring with a three-pointer from
Maddie Pabon assisted by
Taniya Jackson. JWU responded with a three-pointer to tie the game early on. A layup from
Pariz Minor put Randolph back out in front, 5-3. However, JWU 8-2 run to push them to a 10-7 lead with 6:18 to go. It was an even offensive game, closing out the opening quarter as it was a 4-4 run for both teams with JWU leading 14-11.
The second quarter was an evenly offensive game, in which both teams scored 12 total points. The quarter ended with Randolph trailing by three, 23-26 heading into halftime. The third quarter was very much like the second as JWU outscored Randolph 19-18. JWU opened with a 6-1 run, putting them at 32-24 at the 6:29 mark. The offensive began to pick up for both teams as they traded points back and forth to close out the quarter with JWU up 45-41.
Entering the fourth quarter, Randolph was not backing down without a fight. Another close game, with JWU outsourcing Randolph 10-9. A 7-2 run from Randolph closed the gap, to put the team down by two after a layup from Minor, free throws from Jackson, and three-pointer from
Sophia Stevens. JWU responded with a 6-1 run to push their lead to four with 3:24 to go. One last offensive push for Randolph came from a made free throw Minor. However, a Randolph foul in the closing seconds awarded JWU with two free throws to seal the victory 55-50.
Pabon led Randolph with 12 points and nine rebounds, while
Jaellen Hillery provided a spark off the bench with nine points, three assists, and three steals.
Talia Edmond added eight points and four boards, and Minor chipped in seven.
Despite winning the rebounding battle 43–38 and getting 21 points from the bench, Randolph shot 29% from the floor and 20% from three. From the line, Randolph was efficient, going 10-of-17 (58.8%).
The WildCats are back on the road to Greensboro College on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. game.
