ASHLAND, Va. – Junior
Amr Areikat led four Yellow Jackets in double figures as Randolph-Macon Men's Basketball dominated 17
th-ranked Guilford 86-55 in the home opener on Wednesday night.
Score: Randolph-Macon 86, #17 Guilford 55
Venue: Crenshaw Gym
Records: Randolph-Macon (3-2, 1-0 ODAC), Guilford (4-2, 0-1 ODAC)
How it Happened:
- Amr Areikat (Ramallah, Palestine/Langley) got the scoring started with a three pointer just over a minute into the game. After GC took their first lead of the game at 7-6, Areikat hit his second triple of the game to retake the lead. Guilford would not gain the lead again, as RMC took the lead again for good on a layup by Malcolm Hodges (Richmond, Va./Monacan) to make the score 18-16 with eight and half minutes to go until half. Two free throws by Vincent Payne (Frederick, Md./St. Maria Goretti) put RMC up six, 30-24 with 3:32 left in the first. Keishawn Pulley Jr. (Richmond, Va./St. Christopher's School) scored five points in the final 1:46 to help RMC take a 37-28 lead into halftime.
- Guilford pulled within five just two minutes into the second half, but an 8-0 run pushed RMC's lead out to 47-34 just two minutes later. RMC led by nine with 12:31 to go, but an 11-2 run put the Jackets way ahead, once again. The lead hit 20 for the first time at the 6:57 mark in the second half, as another Areikat three pointer made the score 68-48. RMC was not done there, as the lead grew further, stretching to a 31-point advantage following a triple by Theo Antinori (Asheville, N.C./Rabun Gap). Oliver Jones (Middletown, Del./South Kent Prep) capped off the dominant second half with a three pointer to complete the 86-55 win for RMC.
Inside the Numbers:
- Areikat led RMC with 18 points, going 5-9 from three. He also had six assists to zero turnovers. Coming into the game, Areikat was 11th in the nation with a 4.50 Assist/Turnover ratio, only growing that number with the performance against GC.
- Pulley Jr. knocked down three triples to finish with 15 points.
- Hodges tied a career-high with 14 points to couple with seven rebounds. He shot 7-10 from the field. His seven field goals also ties a career-high.
- Jabril Robinson (Rockville, Md./South Kent Prep) was the fourth Yellow Jackets player in double figures with 11. He also had five assists. Robinson leads the ODAC in assists per game with 5.8.
- RMC shot 53.4% from the field and made 14 threes to shoot 45.2% from beyond the arc.
- RMC had 34 points in the paint to Guilford's 18.
- The Yellow Jackets outrebounded GC 38-24. They have had a positive rebound margin in each game this season.
- RMC had a season-high 19 assists on 31 made field goals. They've had double-digit assists in all five games this year.
For the Record:
- RMC has now won seven straight meetings against Guilford, including 10 straight in Ashland.
Up Next:
- RMC will host #12 Hampden-Sydney on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Crenshaw Gym.
