Roanoke College will play host to Washington & Lee in basketball for the first time in the new Cregger Center this Saturday. Game time is 2 pm.
The Maroons could use a win over the Generals, who came into the week at 6-9 overall and 2-4 in the conference . Roanoke was 6-8 overall and 1-5 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference games prior to a trip to Randolph College in Lynchburg on Wednesday.
The Maroons started the new year 1-3 against ODAC foes, including a 77-71 loss to Randolph-Macon in Ashland last Saturday. Roanoke was led by C.J. Miles, who had a game-high 25 points in the loss. Miles was 7-of-16 from the floor and made five three-pointers. John Caldwell returned to the lineup after missing the Lynchburg game to due sickness and posted 15 points, while Eli Sumpter chipped in with 11 points of his own.
Sean Ryan led four Yellow Jackets in double-figures with 17 points. Daniel Noe had 16 points, while Michael Taylor and Grayson Midulla each had 12.
A close first-half, which saw seven ties and four lead changes, was tied at 23-23 with 5:32 left before intermission. RC went on an 8-2 spurt, pushing ahead 31-25 on a Caldwell bucket with 1:47 left on the clock.
R-MC scored five of the final eight points to send the teams to the locker room with RC up 34-30. The Yellow Jackets then opened the second-half on a 13-2 run to go ahead 43-36 with just over 16 minutes to play.
RC responded with a 9-2 run of its own, tying the game at 45 on a Joey Miller basket with 13:25 to go in the game. With the score tied 61-61, with 4:45 to play, Caldwell hit a three-pointer to put the Maroons up 64-61.
A Ryan three-pointer on R-MC’s ensuing possession tied the game back up and sparked an 11-2 run that was capped by a Noe dunk that made it 72-66 with 1:42 to play. Back-to-back baskets by Miles cut the R-MC lead to 72-71 with 47 seconds left in the clock. On R-MC’s next possession, Midulla drained a long three-pointer as the shot clock was winding down to put the Yellow Jackets back up by four with under 30 seconds to go.
Last Wednesday at home the Maroons dropped an 89-87 overtime game to Lynchburg College at the Cregger Center. RC played without leading scorer Caldwell and two other injured Maroons, Josh Freund and Joe Mikalauskas. However, the Maroons hung tough and a Miles three point attempt at the final buzzer that could have won the game clanked off the rim to the disappointment of the home crowd.
RC is home again next Wednesday, January 25, to host Emory & Henry