Maroons Hold On, Will Face Randolph-Macon in Semis
Hot Shooting Keys Victory Over Bridgewater
February 23, 2007
Box Score

SALEM, Va. --- Roanoke College lit up the scoreboard for 55 points in the first half and shot better than 50-percent from the field, but despite the quick start, Bridgewater College brought the finale down to a “three-and-free throw” situation.  Roanoke (16-10) withstood the Eagles’ (17-9) strong run, moving through to the semifinals with a 98-90 win in the second quarterfinal of the 2007 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women’s Basketball Championship tournament.

The combined total score of 188 points marked an ODAC women’s tournament record.  The previous high of 183 points was established in 2003 when Roanoke defeated Eastern Mennonite University 95-88 in the quarterfinal round.

Following a slow scoring first few minutes, Roanoke exploded in the middle of the frame, pushing out to a 12 point lead with 13:51 on the clock.  Bridgewater worked its deficit down into single digits, a trend that continued into the final minutes of the frame.  The Maroons, powered by a 66.7-percent shooting clip, capped the first half in high gear, going into the locker rooms up 55-39.

A pair of free throws by Erin Jenkins gave Roanoke its largest lead at 23 points with 14:51 left to play.  Bridgewater started its comeback slowly by cutting the lead to 10 with 9:13 to play.  The margin hovered at that point for a few possessions before the Eagles again caught some fire, moving to within five several times, the final occasion coming with 0:44 on the clock.

As it had done all game, Roanoke made good on its three throws down the stretch, holding off the Eagles’ long-distance efforts.

“It’s one of those deals that you just refuse to lose,” explained Roanoke head coach Susan Dunagan.  “They [the Maroons] just knew they needed to come out and play hard, and I am very proud of them.”

Junior Erin Hanson led five Maroons in double figures with 16 points and also snared a season-high 16 rebounds.  Sophomore Erin Jenkins added 15 points including 3-of-4 shooting from deep, and junior Torri Bridge chipped in 14 markers.  Freshman Jeleesa Osborne collected 12 points and six boards, and senior Cindy McGraw registered 10 points and four assists.

Senior Amy Childs led all scorers and five Eagles 27 points, hitting 9-of-11 from the line.  Seniors Shannon Scales, Katy Herr Lovell and Jessica Young added 18, 16 and 14 points, respectively. Sophomore Jennifer Saunders chipped in with 10 markers.

Roanoke will play Randolph-Macon College in the first women’s semifinal on Saturday, February 23.  Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. in the Salem Civic Center.

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