Posted: Jun 19, 2015
"This year I am excited that the program is hosting the Tip-Off Tournament and the Holiday Classic Tournament. Not only does this provide us with more home games in Bast, but I am looking forward to inviting the community to come support Maroon basketball," said second-year head coach Carla Flaherty. "Because of the way the calendar fell, we will come out of the gates running as we play five games before Thanksgiving break. We are very excited about the upcoming season!"
About Last Season
Coach Flaherty, who turned around a winless program in just three years at Lassell (MA), entered her first year in Salem with the same task. She led the Maroons to an impressive 4-0 record to start the year, which was the best start since 2009-10. It included a win over #18 Christopher Newport to win the Guilford Tip-Off Classic, which was the first win over a nationally-ranked team since 2007.
By the fifth game against defending USA-South Champion Ferrum, the Maroons lost their top two upperclassmen due to knee injuries in sharpshooting junior Kelsey Smith and senior captain Tatum McKee. McKee was just named Guilford Tip-Off Classic MVP and ODAC Player of the Week a week prior. Smith was lost for the remainder of the season, while McKee returned in mid-January, but was only 50% the rest of her final season.
One bright spot was the emergence of sophomore post player, Cary Beahm, who enjoyed a stellar second year with the Maroons. The power forward was named Second-Team All-ODAC and earned Second-Team VaSID College Division All-State honors. She finished the year ranked among the best in the ODAC in scoring (2nd), free throws made (1st) and rebounding (9th).
About the Schedule
The women open their season with two non-conference games. The Maroons season-opener will be against Averett on Nov. 15 at the Bast Center. On Nov. 17, Roanoke travels to Maryland to take on Goucher in the road-opener. The Cougars finished 11-15 last winter, a four-win turnaround from the previous year. Roanoke defeated Averett, 65-56 last year. Goucher will be led by first-year head coach Patrick Daniel. The Gophers defeated Roanoke, 50-47 last year.
For the first time in program-history, Roanoke College will be the host of two tournaments during the regular season. The first is the Roanoke Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 20-21, which features Berry College, Sewanee as their opponents. Sewanee, who finished 12-13 last season, doubled their win total from the previous year. The Tigers defeated Roanoke 60-55 last December. Berry, which finished 18-9 last year, has improved their record in each of the past three seasons since joining the NCAA Div. III ranks and the Southern Athletic Association. They were an NAIA institution until 2011.
Following the tournament, the women host Meredith (11/23) and Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 29 to close out November. Meredith had an improved year for the single-gender institution, with a four-win turnaround and finished third in the USA-South North Division. Virginia Wesleyan (19-10) won the ODAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Maroons take on the Marlins again on Jan. 16 in Virginia Beach.
The Maroons will take on ODAC rival Randolph-Macon (12/1), in-state non-conference foe Ferrum (12/5) and Mary Baldwin on Dec. 11 before the players go home for the holiday break. The Yellow Jackets (20-5) finished second in the ODAC and fell in the ODAC Championship game last winter. The Panthers, who won the USA-South and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2013, will again be a contender for the conference crown in 2016. Roanoke will square off against the Flying Squirrels for the first time since 1983.
Roanoke will host their own New Year's Tournament for the first time on Jan. 2-3. They will host first-time opponents Wesleyan (GA) and Swarthmore (PA) in the holiday classic. Wesleyan will join the USA-South Conference as a full member in 2016-17 as they are leaving the GSAC at the end of this season. Swarthmore won the 2013 ECAC South Region Championship and competes in the Centennial Conference.
The women will start the second half of their season against ODAC competition on Jan. 6 against Shenandoah, who recently joined the ODAC just three years ago. The Maroons travel to Winchester on Feb. 6 to battle the Hornets. The women travel to Lexington to take on Washington and Lee on Jan. 9 then will host Emory & Henry on Jan. 13. The Generals finished 16-10 last season and will take on the Maroons again on Feb. 13. The Wasps (15-13) had an improved season under first-year coach Anne Crutchfield. After being picked 11th in the pre-season poll, they finished sixth in the final standings and advanced to the ODAC Semifinals for the first time since 2005. The 15 wins were the most in a decade for E&H.
The Maroons will host Guilford at the Bast Center in their only meeting on Jan. 20, followed by two more contests in a week's time vs. Bridgewater (1/23) and at crosstown-rival Hollins on Jan. 27. The women will close out January with a road game at Eastern Mennonite on Jan. 30.
The Quakers had three-straight seasons with 20 wins and an ODAC Championship appearance from 2012-14, which included back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids. The Eagles, who had a four-win improvement from the previous year, will battle the Maroons in the regular season finale on Feb. 20. Hollins will come to Salem on Feb. 17 in the second meeting against Roanoke. The Royals (23-5) were the ODAC regular season champions and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament last year. They fell to the eventual National Champions Thomas More.
On Feb. 3 Roanoke will host Lynchburg and will travel to Randolph on Feb. 10. The Hornets (19-9, 12-4 ODAC), set a new single-season wins record (19) and advanced to the ODAC championship game for the first time in program-history last season. Randolph (13-13) is coming off its best season in school-history.
Roanoke will return all-conference selection Cary Beahm and sharpshooting junior Kelsey Smith for the 2015-16 season. Anna Carter emerged as a solid presence in the post, while sophomore Bridget Holleran improved in her second season.
