Lynchburg, Va. - The Johnson & Wales Charlotte women's basketball team hit the road to open 2026, taking on a pair of ODAC teams in Lynchburg and Randolph this weekend. The Wildcats prevailed in both contests, downing Lynchburg 84-80 on Friday before knocking off Randolph 70-66 on Saturday.

JWU got off to a fast start against Lynchburg, making 9 of 16 field goal attempts in the first quarter to forge a 25-15 lead. The Hornets whittled away at the JWU lead, eventually tying the score at 68 with 4:38 to play. Maliah Preston responded with a three pointer on the next Wildcat possession to restore JWU's advantage. Lynchburg got with 2 points with 12 seconds remaining, but Kyrah Davis knocked down two free throws to seal the win. 

JWU set season highs in field goal percentage (48.4%) three point field goal percentage (34.5%) and three pointers made (10). Five Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Korletta Daniel's 19 points. Laylah Toscano scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. De'Ashaj Crawford came off the bench to score 15 points. 

In Saturday's contest against Randolph, it was the second quarter that was pivotal for JWU. Trailing by one, 19-18, JWU went on a 22-12 run over the second ten minutes that gave them a 40-31 halftime advantage. Laylah Toscano had 8 points in the period, and finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds on the afternoon. The hosts again closed to within a pair in the game's dying seconds, but Crawford made two free throws to ensure the victory with eight seconds remaining. She came off the bench to lead the Wildcats with 21 points. She also grabbed 9 rebounds and recorded 3 steals. 

The Wildcats next travel to Bluefield University on Friday, January 9th for a 5:00pm game.