Both teams are nationally ranked
The 14th ranked Roanoke College men took second ranked Randolph-Macon to the wire before dropping a big early season basketball game last Saturday. The Yellow Jackets came from behind in the second half to pull out a 66-61 win in Ashland.
The Maroons led by as many as seven points in the second half. RC opened a 23-14 lead following a 9-0 run at 5:50 of the first half before R-MC cut the advantage to one, 29-28, at halftime. Roanoke assumed a 37-30 lead early in the second half but again, R-MC chipped away and went ahead 50-46 with 10:45 remaining.
The game was close down the stretch. RC’s Marcus Morgan hit a driving layup with 1:51 to go to make it a one-point deficit at 60-59, but the Maroons couldn’t score again until the closing seconds. Jabril Robinson scored on a tough layup for R-MC with 17 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets hit their last four free throws to seal the victory.
Free-throw shooting was one of the key areas of the game. The Yellow Jackets connected on 18-of-22 attempts (82%), while the Maroons hit on just 2-of-9 (22%).
Morgan finished with a season-high 21 points, topping all other scorers on either team by eight. Gavin O’Malley compiled 10 points and seven rebounds, Caleb Franze delivered seven points and four assists and Grant Hamilton also scored seven. Porter Stanley added six points and five rebounds.
With the loss the Maroons dropped to 5-2 on the season while the Jackets remained undefeated after six games. This was the only time they’ll meet during the regular season, with a possible rematch in the ODAC tournament at the Salem Civic Center.
This weekend the Maroons will play in the Hampden-Sydney Tournament at Hampden-Sydney College. RC will play the University of Redlands on Friday at 5 pm and Wilson College on Saturday at 1 pm.
The Maroons will be home for the first time since November 15 when they host the Cregger Invitational on December 29 and 30.
