SALEM, Va. – Senior Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding) had 18 points and six assists to break the school's career assist mark, and junior Miles Mallory (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 assists, as the top-seeded and top-ranked Randolph-Macon men's basketball team defeated No. 3 Virginia Wesleyan 74-59 in the 2022 ODAC Tournament Championship Game to extend its win streak to 21 games.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 74, Virginia Wesleyan 59

Venue: Salem Civic Center

Records: R-MC 27-1, VWU 18-10

How it Happened:

• The Marlins scored the first four points of the contest before a three-pointer by Anthony got the Yellow Jackets on the scoreboard. Following a jumper by VWU, Anthony hit senior David Funderburg (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) on a layup as Anthony tied the program record for career assists with 747. R-MC trailed 10-7 before a trey by Anthony and a jumper by Mallory gave the Yellow Jackets a 12-10 edge with 15:10 remaining in the first half. The Marlins hit a triple to go up one before Anthony found sophomore Will Coble (Charlotte, N.C./Davidson Day) underneath for a layup to give Anthony the program record for career assists with 748. A jumper by Mallory gave the Yellow Jackets a 16-13 lead with 12 minutes left. After a VWU three-pointer tied it, Anthony and sophomore Daniel Mbangue (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) had layups to give R-MC a 20-16 edge with 10:40 remaining. The Yellow Jackets had a 27-26 lead before a layup by senior Ian Robertson (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen), a jumper by Mallory and a steal and dunk by junior Josh Talbert (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) put R-MC up 33-26 with 3:25 left. VWU ended the half on a 10-4 spurt and trailed 37-36 at the break. Anthony had 13 points in the first half. The Yellow Jackets had a 24-10 advantage on points in the paint.
• Mbangue had a layup and a follow prior to a three-pointer by Anthony and a layup by Talbert as R-MC started the second half on a 16-4 run to take a 53-40 lead with 14:30 remaining. After five straight points by VWU, Mallory scored in the paint, Mbangue converted a three-point play and Robertson nailed a triple as the advantage grew to 16 at 61-45 with 11:20 left. The Marlins closed to within 12 before a triple by senior DaQuan Morris (Philadelphia, Pa./Hill School) capped a 7-2 spurt as the Yellow Jackets led 74-57 with 3:45 remaining. VWU had the last score of the game to make the final 74-59.

By The Numbers:

• The Yellow Jackets had four score in double figures. Anthony had 18, Mbangue scored 15, while Mallory and Talbert tallied a dozen each.
• R-MC shot 54% from the floor (31-57), including 57% in the first half (16-28) and 52% in the second half (15-29).
• After shooting 62.5% in the first half (15-24), the R-MC defense held VWU to 29% shooting in the second half (7-24).
• The Yellow Jackets dominated the glass with a 34-16 advantage. R-MC had 15 offensive rebounds. Mallory led the victors with 12 rebounds, while Anthony and Talbert each grabbed five. The Yellow Jackets had a 14-4 edge in second chance points.
• Anthony had six assists and Talbert dished out five.
• R-MC had a 42-16 advantage on points in the paint. The Yellow Jackets had a 15-0 advantage on bench points.

For The Record:

• Anthony, the ODAC Player of the Year, was named the tourney's Most Valuable Player. Mallory, the ODAC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-ODAC First Team selection, joined Talbert, an All-ODAC Second Team honoree, on the ODAC All-Tournament Team. Tim Fisher and Corey Pelham also made the ODAC All-Tournament Team (pictured below).
• The Yellow Jackets won their ninth ODAC title and third consecutive championship. R-MC is 9-8 in ODAC title games and 7-6 against Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC Tournament.
• R-MC has won 21 straight games and 44 of its past 45 contests. It is the third-longest win streak in program history.
• Over the past four seasons, R-MC is 94-7 overall (.931) and 49-2 in ODAC contests (.961).
• Anthony had six assists to give him 752, surpassing the program record of 747 set by Paul Jez in 1975.
• Mallory had three blocks to raise his career total to 168, the second-highest total in program history. Pat Holland owns the R-MC record with 174.
• Anthony had 18 points to give him 1,893 for his career, the third-highest total in program history.
• Anthony had three steals to give him 237, the most in program history.
• Josh Merkel passed Nathan Davis with 142 career wins at R-MC, the fourth-highest total in program history. Hal Nunnally had 431, Paul Webb had 315 and Mike Rhoads had 197.

Next Up:

• R-MC earned the ODAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Yellow Jackets will learn their matchup on Monday, Feb. 28 at 12:30 p.m. when the NCAA releases the tournament bracket.