Whitney Hopson had 12 points and 12 rebounds in finale
Posted: Feb 22, 2020
The Basics
Score: Roanoke 66 | Eastern Mennonite 55
Records: Maroons 17-8, 12-6 | Royals 4-20, 3-15
Location: Roanoke, Va.
The Lead: Leading by one at the break, Roanoke was able to gain and maintain the advantage throughout the second half as the Maroons finished the regular season with a home win over EMU.
How it Happened:
- The two seniors, Molly Hassell and Allison Livengood, were honored prior to the tip of their final game in the Cregger Center.
- The first quarter would see several lead changes. Hassell hit a free throw to tie the game at 5-5, before the Royals responded with a 4-0 run but neither team could get much going.
- Ayanna Scarborough and Whitney Hopson scored back-to-back hoops to knot the game at 9-9 with 25 seconds to go. Lexi Deffenbaugh hit a jumper in the closing seconds to give EMU the lead after one period of play, 11-9.
- Hopson hit two in a row to allow RC to re-take the lead. However, the two ODAC rivals would go back and forth for the next five minutes of play.
- With 3:26 on the clock, Kristina Harrel scored three of the next five points to give Roanoke her largest lead of the first half, 24-19. Eastern Mennonite closed the half on a 4-0 run and the Roanoke lead was down to a single point, 24-23, at the break.
- Hassell, Harrel, and Hopson pushed the RC advantage to eight at the mid-way point of the third quarter and a Rose Sande three-pointer with 49 seconds to play, gave RC their first double-digit lead of the afternoon.
- The Maroons would take a nine point edge into the final frame but the Royals would make one more run, cutting the lead to five with just over four minutes remaining.
- RC would close the game with a 10-4 surge to pick up the ODAC win.
- Hopson had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Harrel added 11 while Scarborough and Morgan Micallef each scored 10.
Up next: With the win, Roanoke secured the 6th seed in next week's 2020 ODAC Championship Basketball Tournament. RC will play the 3rd seed, Bridgewater, on Thursday night at 8:00pm at the Salem Civic Center.
