NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Roanoke jumped to a 31-11 lead and had a 19-point margin in the second half, before holding off  McDaniel charge in the second half for a 77-66 win in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs at the Freeman Center Friday night.

The Maroons hit seven of their first eight shots in building the early margin. They led at halftime, 41-29, after shooting better than 60 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

They still led by 19, 56-37 with 11:05 to play, when the Green Terror mounted a 22-7 run, climbing to within 63-59 with 3:29 to play.

But Rebecca Bays hit a key three-pointer just 19 seconds later and ignited an eight-point run by Roanoke that extended the margin to 71-59 at the 2:02 mark.

Roanoke was led by Jordan Gholson with 22 points on 8-10 shooting. Jaleesa Osbourne added 19 points, while Caitlyn Long and Lindsay Skaff contributed ten each. Roanoke shot .509 for the game and hit 11-20 three-point shots.

McDaniel got 16 points each from Katelyn Fischer and Ali Moreland, as well as 14 from Ashley Lyles.

The loss ends the year for the Green Terror at 20-7. Roanoke improves to 24-3 and meets Christopher Newport in the second round Saturday night at the Freeman Center at 7 p.m.