Women's Basketball drops 70-66 decision at Salem College

Rechnitzer canned five treys in the game

Box Score

Winston-Salem, NC -- Junior guard Katie Rechnitzer tossed in a season-high 23 points, including five three-pointers, but Randolph College could not hold on to their six point halftime lead, dropping a 70-66 decision at Salem College Thursday night.

With the loss Randolph falls to 4-17 overall, while Salem improves to 8-17 on the year.

Randolph would build a seven point lead at 16-9 with 11:59 remaining in the half after a trey from Rechnitzer and two free throws from Michelle Brockman. The WildCats continued to extend their lead, as Kristen Blalock added a layup inside and Jamie Steigerwald connected on one of two from the charity stripe to give Randolph a 22-11 lead at the 7:01 mark. Salem would end the half with four straight points from the foul line as Randolph would take a 31-25 lead into the break.

In the second half Salem would slowly chip away at the lead, and a jumper from Kelsey Rector would cut the lead to one at 60-59 with just under six minutes to play. On the next possession, the Spirits would take their first lead 61-60 after Sarah Smith connected on a jumper. From there, a three-pointer from Rector and two free throws from Courtney Sauer would seal the win for Salem.

The loss overshadowed an outstanding performance from Rechnitzer, shooting 9-14 from the field, and 5-8 from long distance. It marks the third game this season Rechnitzer has hit five or more treys. Lindsay Cross added 15 points and five rebounds, while Blalock rounded out the double figure scorers with 13 points and six rebounds. Brockman pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.

Three Spirits reached double figures. Rector led the attack with 22 points, while Smith added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Joanne Hill contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. Randolph held a slight advantage on the boards outrebounding Salem 42-40.

The WildCats will return to conference play Saturday when they welcome Bridgewater College for an ODAC contest scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The WildCats will celebrate their "Locks of Love" event during the contest.

CONTACT: Vince Scalzo, Sports Information Director