ASHLAND, Va.Â
– A late three pointer with four seconds left by
Amr Areikat lifted 16
th-ranked Randolph-Macon Men's Basketball over 7
th-ranked Christopher Newport in Ashland on Wednesday.
Score:Â #16 Randolph-Macon 77, #7 Christopher Newport 72
Venue:Â Â Crenshaw Gym
Records:Â Randolph-Macon (12-3), Christopher Newport (14-4)
How it Happened:
- CNU scored the first three points of the game before the Yellow Jackets got on the board at the 18:41 mark in the first half. The Captains jumped out to an 11-5 lead, but a 9-0 run by RMC shifted the lead in the other direction. The lead changed hands again after CNU took a 23-18 advantage with nine minutes to go in the half. Keishawn Pulley Jr. had a 5-0 run by himself, capped off by a three pointer on a fastbreak to give RMC a 25-23 lead. A three by Amr Areikat (Ramallah, Palestine/Langley) and layups by Jabril Robinson (Rockville, Md./South Kent Prep) and Malcolm Hodges (Richmond, Va./Monacan) in the final 3:33 allowed RMC to take a 36-34 lead into half.
- The Captains were able to seize momentum early in the second half, capitalizing on a few RMC turnovers to hold a 52-47 lead with 12:25 remaining. A quick 5-0 run erased the deficit to knot the score at 52. Five minutes later, CNU grabbed momentum again, holding another five-point advantage, but this time a 9-0 stretch spanning three and a half minutes gave the Yellow Jackets a 68-64 lead with 2:57 to go. CNU's Toa Hollenbeck made a bucket and a free throw to help the visitors tie the score at 68 with 1:58 remaining. Areikat hit two free throws with 51 seconds left to give RMC a 72-68 lead, and after a bucket by CNU, Areikat made it a five-point game with a deep three with just seconds remaining to seal the win for the Yellow Jackets.
Inside the Numbers:
- Pulley Jr. led the Jackets with 16 points on 6-12 shooting. He also had four rebounds and two steals.
- Robinson hit a pair of threes to finish with 15 points. He grabbed three rebounds, had three assists, and three steals.
- Areikat and Hodges each had 13 points and four rebounds. Areikat hit three triples and Hodges added two steals.
- The reigning ODAC defensive player of the week, Liam Joyce, had eight points, six rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
- RMC shot 79.2% from the free throw line, making 19 of 24 shots.
- The Yellow Jackets had just five turnovers, their lowest mark of the season.
- RMC had 12 steals. They move to 8-0 on the season when recording seven or more steals.
For the Record:
- Randolph-Macon is now 20-8 since 2019 against ranked opponents.
- Head Coach Josh Merkel is 7-5 against top-10 opponents in his time in Ashland.
Up Next:
- Randolph-Macon will travel to Ferrum on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. ODAC contest. Â
