The Basics
Score: Roanoke 82 | Virginia Wesleyan 52
Records: Maroons 11-2 / 6-0 ODAC | Marlins 3-14 / 0-10 ODAC
Location: Salem, Va.
The Lead: The Roanoke women went searching for their second Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) win of the week as the hosted Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon. The Marlins came into the game winless in ODAC play while the Maroons brought a, perfect 5-0, mark into the contest. Roanoke jumped on their guests by netting the first five points of the game, however, as the frame ended, the Marlins had not allowed the Maroons to get away, 20-16. Roanoke began to pull away in the second quarter and built as much as a 35-point lead in the second half as they picked up the 82-52 ODAC win.
How it Happened:
- Whitney Hopson assisted on the first two baskets of the afternoon and hit a free throw to stake the Maroons to a 5-0 advantage. Virginia Wesleyan would not allow Roanoke to pull away thanks in part to a 10-6 run. A Lauren Keel three-point play in the closing seconds allowed RC to take a 20-16 lead into the second quarter.
- The first five minutes belonged to the home team. A pair of Rose Sande buckets and a 3-pointer by Renee Alquiza would see Roanoke begin to build a cushion. When JaBryah Haverkamp converted a transition opportunity, the lead was into double figures, 32-21.
- Leading by nine, Roanoke would hold the Marlins scoreless the final 2:50 of the half and when Morgan Micallef scored right before the buzzer, RC had taken a 41-25 advantage.
- Leading 50-32 at the under-five media timeout, Roanoke scored the final four-points of the quarter to take a 20-point spread into the finale.
- Alquiza completed back-to-back three-point plays to push the Maroon lead to 69-46. With 5:00 to play, a Micallef layup gave RC their largest lead of the evening, 71-46, as the Maroons ran their ODAC mark to 6-0 with the 30-point win.
- Alquiza led all scorers with 22 points while Micallef added 15 and Sande netted 12. Sande and Keel combined for 14 of Roanoke's 39 rebounds and Hopson handed out six helpers and picked up three steals.
Up next: RC will be on the road for a rescheduled game with Bridgewater on Monday night. The ODAC matchup with the eagles is scheduled to tip at 7:00pm.
