WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Kalyn Banks scored 14 points and added a game-high 14 rebounds, as visiting Randolph emerged with a 79-55 victory over Salem at Varsity Gym on Tuesday, Nov. 26. The Spirits were led offensively by the tandem of Sydney Bowen (14 points) and Aubrey Slaughter (10 rebounds) in the setback.
Banks, who finished 7-of-15 from the floor, led the way in rebounds with six on the offensive glass. She was one of three Wildcats (2-3) to reach double figures, along with Lanaysia Gonzalez and Lindsey Marshall, who tallied 11 points apiece. Alyssa Morroni contributed eight rebounds (four offensive) off the bench as Randolph finished with a 53-32 edge in total rebounds.
Bowen led the Spirits (0-5) in scoring by hitting 6-of-13 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc to go along with six assists. She was joined in double-digit scoring by Alize Brooks and Lauren Privette, who came through with 10 points each. Brooks capped off her night by hitting a pair of long distance 3-pointers, along with forcing four steals, while Privette was 5-of-6 from the floor to go along with four rebounds.
Slaughter anchored the middle with 10 rebounds, pulling down eight on the defensive glass, while Caroline Deal added five.
Facing an eight-point deficit entering the second half, Bowen started the third quarter off with a 3-pointer, but back-to-back treys by Yanessa Cabrera helped Randolph extend its lead to 46-33 within the first two minutes. Layups by Deal and Cayla Harris trimmed the margin to 11, but the Wildcats took advantage of points in transition by Gonzalez and Corrinne Anderson to open up a 54-39 lead. Slaughter and Bowen added buckets for the Spirits, but Randolph closed on the final 2:59 of the frame on an 8-3 run to lead 62-44.
Despite five points by Bowen in the opening two minutes of the fourth, Randolph stretched its lead to 20 points on two occasions. Privette and Brooks converted a pair of layups, making for a 70-53 Wildcat lead, but a 3-pointer down the stretch by Anderson along with jumpers by Maggie Walton and Hannah Bane completed the 79-55 victory for Randolph.
The Spirits grabbed the early 4-3 lead with a layup by Slaughter, but a 13-3 run by Randolph, which spanned 3:56 and was highlighted by four points from Antesberger, allowed the Wildcats to assume the 17-7 advantage. Dionne Sampson got Salem into double figures with a 3-pointer, following a pass from Bowen, and Lauren Privette followed with a jumper to trim the margin to five.
Privette and Brooks, who drove home a 3-pointer from the right wing, accounted for the final five Salem points as the Wildcats led 21-17 at the end of the first.
Salem continued to make its push for the lead in the opening moments of the second quarter with a series of buckets by Slaughter and Deal as the Wildcats led 23-21 at the 7:57 mark. Lindsey Marshall delivered a 3-pointer and a layup in a span of 1:20 to extend the Randolph lead to 32-25. Privette's layup, along with a timely trey from Brooks cut the Wildcat lead to four, 34-30, however Randolph scored the final four points of the frame to take a 38-30 lead into the intermission.
The Spirits return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when they host N.C. Wesleyan in a USA South Conference battle at 6 p.m. at Varsity Gym. For more information on Salem basketball check out www.salemspirits.com.