Posted: Jun 11, 2015
Roanoke opened the 2014-15 campaign with an impressive 4-0 record, the best start since the 2009-10 team who went 24-4 and made the NCAA Tournament! The Maroons claimed the Guilford Tip-Off Classic, defeating Meredith (64-47) and then #18-ranked Christopher Newport (74-62). The win over CNU was Roanoke's first win over a ranked team since the Maroons topped #18 Bridgewater College in the 2006-07 season. Senior captain Tatum McKee was named MVP of the tip-off classic and garnered ODAC Player of the Week honors. Roanoke also bested in-state foe Averett (65-56) and defeated Randolph, 65-51 in the ODAC-opener.
The Maroons fell to Ferrum, 73-58 in non-conference action for their first defeat of the year. Coach Flaherty lost both McKee and junior guard Kelsey Smith to injuries early in the second half of that contest. McKee has since returned to the floor in January, but Smith, the teams' sharpshooter, suffered a season-ending injury. The Panthers, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament last winter, were picked second in the USA-South pre-season poll as defending champions.
After losing their top two returners to injury, the women hit a rough patch trying to regroup, dropping the ensuing seven games. Among those defeats, the women had close contests against non-conference opponents Sewanee (60-55) and Goucher (50-47), while falling to three of the top four conference teams to date in that span (Washington and Lee, Lynchburg and Randolph-Macon). The other two losses came during their Daytona Beach trip to in-state rival Marymount and SUNY-Oneonta.
Once school was back in session, Roanoke went into the meat of ODAC play and picked up its first win of 2015 with a 61-57 win at Guilford on January 14. Roanoke then traveled to Virginia Wesleyan in a hard fought 73-71 overtime defeat.
The Maroons bounced back with a 62-50 win over Hollins on January 21st. Then ODAC-leader Eastern Mennonite, who also is receiving votes in the top-25, downed the Maroons, 65-46. Sophomore forward Cary Beahm put up her fourth-consecutive game scoring 20 points or more and emerging as the star of the squad. Roanoke won on January 29th against Salem College in an 82-77 double-overtime thriller, with Beahm scoring a career high 33 points, the third most points scored by a Maroon in a game in the Division III-era. Junior forward Anna Carter, a two-sport athlete also on the women's soccer team, had career-highs in scoring (16) and rebounding (15) for her second double-double of the season.
The Maroons hit a tough stretch in the final seven games of the regular season. The Maroons went 1-6 during that span, defeating Hollins 84-47 on the road. The Maroons were edged by the WildCats of Hollins on February 14th on Senior Day, as the Maroons fell 59-58 in that contest. With the 4-12 record in the ODAC, the Maroons entered the ODAC Tournament with the #11 seed and had to face off against #6 seed Washington & Lee. An early set of runs for the Generals set the course for the game as the Maroons ended their season in the opening round of the ODAC Tournament.
Cary Beahm, a sophomore from Dendron, VA, had an outstanding season for the Maroons in 2014-15, earning a spot on the 2015 All-ODAC Second Team. She led the Maroons in both points (449) and points per game (17.3), both of which rank second in the ODAC. Beahm was also the top free-throw shooter in the conference, knocking down 107 shots from behind the charity stripe. She ranked fourth in the ODAC in offensive rebounds (80), eighth in total rebounds (196) and ninth in rebounds per game (7.5).
Beahm also put her name alongside the top players in Roanoke College history this season. In a double overtime thriller against Salem College, Beahm tallied 33 points, which is the third highest single game total at Roanoke College in the Division III era. She finished the season with 11 games with 20 points or more, and led the Maroons in scoring in 22 of 26 games during the season. Her 17.3 points per game is the seventh best single season scoring average for a Maroon, while her 449 points are 10th best in a single season. She tallied numbers that rank in the top-20 all-time in a single season in eight statistical categories, including free throws made (8th), free throw percentage, and field goal percentage.
Seniors Meghan Gadell and Tatum McKee each tied in points per game for the Maroons, putting up 7.2 points per contest each. McKee finished the season averaging 6.1 points per game. McKee ranks in the top-20 all-time in eight statistical
categories, including: steals (8th - 192), rebounds (11th - 604), free throws made (13th - 222), and three pointers made (16th - 64). Gadell finished the year averaging 3.5 rebounds per game, which was 92 total rebounds, her best rebounding year. Gadell finishes her career as a Maroon ranked 15th all-time in three pointers attempted (205) and 17th in three pointers made (60). Anna Carter ranked third on the team in rebounds per game, pulling down 4.9 boards per contest, to go along with her 6.1 points per game.
