VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.Â
–Â
Jabril Robinson led the way with 15 points as Randolph-Macon Men's Basketball outlasted Virginia Wesleyan in a defensive battle on Wednesday night.
Score:Â #13 Randolph-Macon 56, #25 Virginia Wesleyan 49
Venue:Â Â TowneBank Arena/Virginia Wesleyan University
Records:Â Randolph-Macon (16-3, 9-1 ODAC), Virginia Wesleyan (15-4, 8-2 ODAC)
How it Happened:
- Virginia Wesleyan scored less than a minute into the game to open the scoring. The Yellow Jackets got on the board just under two minutes into the game on a Liam Joyce (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) bucket. RMC led 10-8 with 15:29 left in the first half, but VWU went on a 7-1 run to take a four-point lead. An 8-0 run ensued for the Yellow Jackets as they regained the lead 19-15 with 8:46 remaining in the half. The Lemon and Black led by four at 25-21 but once again, the Marlins battled to take a 28-27 lead. Malcolm Hodges (Richmond, Va./Monacan) made a bucket with two seconds left to give RMC a 29-28 halftime lead.
- Oliver Jones (Middletown, Del./South Kent Prep) and Joyce each had a basket to start the second half, giving RMC a 33-28 lead. The Yellow Jackets held a 39-32 advantage with 14 minutes to go but VWU wouldn't back down, igniting an 11-0 run that tilted the scoreboard in their favor, 43-39, with 10:50 to play. The lead changed hands multiple times over the ensuing five minutes. RMC grabbed the lead for the final time with 5:37 to go, as a Joyce layup made the score 46-45. The next eight points went in favor of the Yellow Jackets to help them seal the win, 56-49.
Inside the Numbers:
- Jabril Robinson (Rockville, Md./South Kent Prep) led the team with 15 points and had two steals for the fifth straight game.
- Keishawn Pulley Jr, (Richmond, Va./St. Christopher's School), Jones, and Joyce all finished with eight points.
- 40 of RMC's 56 points came in the paint.
- RMC held VWU to just 1-16 (6.3%) from beyond the arc, the lowest output for an opponent this season. RMC came into the game 16th in the nation in three-point percentage defense.
- RMC forced 16 turnovers while having just six turnovers.
For the Record:
- Head Coach Josh Merkel is now 21-8 at RMC against ranked opponents.
- Randolph-Macon has now won 41 consecutive games in the month of January. The last loss came on January 8, 2020 against Mary Washington.
Up Next:
- Randolph-Macon will host Lynchburg on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. game, honoring the Matt Davis Foundation.
