Box Score SALEM, VA - A pair of free-throws by Danny Jones with 0:00.1
second left propelled No. 4 Randolph-Macon to an 82-80 victory over
top-seeded Eastern Mennonite in the semifinals of the 2010 ODAC
Men's Basketball Tournament.
R-MC improves to 22-5 overall and sends them to the championship
game against either Virginia Wesleyan or Guilford.
Trailing 80-78 with 40 seconds left, an Eric Pugh bucket tied
the game for the 10th time.
Out of a timeout, EMU's Todd Phillips missed a potential game
winning shot with eight seconds left. Pugh then grabbed the
rebound and went the length of the court, his layup missed, but
Jones was there for a tip-in attempt where he was fouled with just
one-tenth of second left on the clock.
Jones' free-throws were the final of game-high 22 points for the
junior reserve who helped the Jackets' bench outscore the
EMU bench 37-8. Brandon Braxton added 14 points, while
Eric Pugh dropped in 13 in the win.
The Jackets held a slim lead throughout the first stanza but a
late 6-0 run by the Royals to close the half put them up 40-39 at
the break.
EMU was able to push its lead to nine at 56-47 when DJ
Hinson made a layup with 14:33 to play. R-MC then responded
with a 12-4 run, taking a 59-58 lead with a pair of technical
free-throws by Thomas Scheeler.
With EMU leading 65-62, a Calvin Croskey three-pointer sparked
an 11-1 run by R-MC to give the Jackets a 73-66 advantage with 5:50
to go. EMU then scored 11 of the next 15 points taking a
77-76 lead with 2:58 to play.
EMU, who is ranked No. 7 in the Nation and No. 1 in South
Region, drops to 22-4 this season. All five Royals starters
scored in double-figures led DJ Hinson's team-high 20.
The Yellow Jackets will take on second-seeded Guilford
College Sunday at 3:30 in the Salem Civic Center.
