17 Maroons Score as Roanoke Tames Cougars, 84-57

THE GAME FACTS

• Score:  Roanoke 84, Averett 57
• Records:  Maroons 5-0, 3-0 ODAC; Cougars 2-7, 0-5 ODAC
• Location:  Salem, Va. – Cregger Center 
• The Short Story: The Roanoke women's basketball team welcomed Averett to the ODAC on Wednesday evening by thrashing the conference newcomers, 84-57 at the Cregger Center. Madison Nereu led all scorers with 12 points but was just one of 17 different Maroons to make an addition to the scoreboard.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Averett scored the first basket of the game, but the rest of the quarter belonged to the Maroons. Nereu even the score at 2-2 with 7:48 left in the first quarter and Roanoke never trailed after that point. The Cougars pulled within one point with a layup at 4:34, but Roanoke went on a 6-0 run to push their lead back up to seven at 15-8. After trading a few baskets, the Maroons led 17-13 after the first 10 minutes of the contest.
• It did not take long in the second quarter for the Maroons to start pulling away. Four quick points put Roanoke up by 8 points just 11 seconds into the period. After a Cougar basket, an 11-0 run by the Maroons extended the lead to 17. The closest Averett would get the rest of the half was four on two separate occasions, with Roanoke leading by as many as 23 at 50-27 with just over a minute left before halftime. The Maroons led 50-29 at the break.
• The Cougars brought themselves within 16 1:43 into the second half, but two quick baskets by Morgan Micallef and Sayre Brandstatter put the lead back up to 20. After trading a few baskets, a three-pointer by Morgan Carter gave the Maroons their biggest lead of 24 points at 61-37 with 2:40 left in the third quarter.  Roanoke led the Cougars 65-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
• The two teams combined for three points in the first two minutes of the fourth period but the Maroons would find their offensive groove, pushing their lead to as many as 33 with a Nora Schroeder layup with 2:22 left in the game. Roanoke kept the Cougars at bay for the rest of the game, claiming the 84-57 win.

BY THE NUMBERS

• In addition to Nereu's 12 points, Rose Sande was another Maroons to reach double-figures with 10.
• Roanoke nearly made every other shot from the field, finishing with a 49.2% field goal percentage on the night while keeping the Cougars to just 27.7%.
• The Maroons led Averett in free throws (24-18), rebounds (50-41), assists (8-5), and bench points (48-20).

UP NEXT

• Roanoke hits the road this Saturday, December 10 when they begin a three-game road trip with a visit to Virginia Wesleyan. The ODAC contest with the Marlins is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Virginia Beach.