Box Score Lynchburg, Va. – Sophomores Nina Haller (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) and Haley Riebling (Ellicott City, Md./Seton Keough) each tallied 14 points Saturday afternoon as the St. Mary's College of Maryland women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 71-62 decision to Randolph College.
Haller was 4-of-8 from the field while going 6-of-11 from the free throw line for her 14 points. Riebling did her damage from the perimeter as she went 4-of-5 from downtown.
The Seahawks (0-1) came out strong and posted a 15-7 advantage at 10:57 as Riebling knocked down a layup. Randolph (0-2) responded with its dominant outside shooting and reclaimed the lead with a 23-8 run for a seven-point lead at 2:03. A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Brie Holdren (Bedford, Va./Staunton) sent the Wildcats into the locker room with a 32-24 lead.
Randolph (1-0) shot nearly 43% from long range in the first half as junior guard Abigail Bullins (Asheboro, N.C./Asheboro) paced her squad with 12 points. Riebling and first-year guard Christine Morin (Kensington, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) led the Seahawks with five points each.
The Wildcats stretched their advantage to 46-35 for their biggest lead of the game. St. Mary's put on a solid defensive stance and picked up several stops to turn the tide, knotting the game up 48-48 at 6:44 on a 1-of-2 effort from the line by senior captain Maddie Hook (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase).
Riebling kept the Seahawks on pace with Randolph, equaling Holdren's bomb with a three-pointer of her own and tying the game for the third time at 53-53 at 5:58. The Wildcats got their lead back up to seven at 4:20 before St. Mary's worked it back down to 60-56 at 3:13. The Seahawks, however, would get no closer in falling in their first game of the 2014-15 season.
Haller led the team on the boards with eight while senior captain Mattie Vagnoni (Chevy Chase, Md./Stone Ridge School) added six and six.
Bullins finished with a game-high 27 points while three other Wildcats scored in double figures. Senior forward Allie Druffel (Centreville, Va./Westfield) helped Randolph outrebound the Seahawks by a 47-39 margin with 10 boards.
The Seahawks return to the hardwood on Monday, November 17th, traveling to Washington, D.C. to battle The Catholic University of America at 6:00 p.m.
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