ASHLAND, Va. - The Randolph-Macon College men's basketball team started its 2026-27 campaign with a thrashing 78-47 victory over #2 Christopher Newport.
The Basics:
Score: #7 Randolph-Macon 78, #2 Christopher Newport 47
Venue: Ashland, Va. // Crenshaw Gym // Randolph-Macon College
Records: Randolph-Macon (1-0, 0-0 ODAC), Christopher Newport (1-1, 0-0 C2C)
How it Happened:
- Christopher Newport started the game hot, going 6-for-10 from the field and opened up an early 13-8 lead with 13:18 left in the opening half. The Yellow Jackets found its groove, going on a quick 7-1 run, Jack Loyd (Fairfax, Va./Flint Hill) capped the run with a huge three-pointer and RMC took the lead 15-14 with 10:47 on the clock. The run jolted the Lemon and Black on both ends of the court, as the lead grew to double-digits on a Ty Showalter (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) free throw and Randolph-Macon had a 31-21 lead. CNU got big buckets by Tyson Henderson and Zyir Baskerville towards the end of the first half, keeping within striking distance. Theo Antinori (Asheville, N.C./Rabun Gap) swung momentum back to Randolph-Macon with five seconds on the clock, converting a lay-up plus the foul shot and the Yellow Jackets had a 38-26 lead at the half.
- In the second half, Randolph-Macon shot out of a cannon and outscored the Captains 16-1 in the first nine minutes. Malcolm Hodges (Richmond, Va./Monacan) and Antinori combined for 12 points during the run to lead the offense. RMC also added suffocating defense during the run, forcing six Christopher Newport turnovers and held them without a made field goal. Delani Hammonds (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell) scored the final two points of the run and the Lemon and Black bolted out to a 54-27 lead. Toa Hollenbeck recorded the first made field goal of the second half for CNU at the 10:01 mark. Daniel Keogh (Henrico, Va./Mills Godwin) joined the fun soon after, nailing back-to-back three balls, forcing a Captains timeout and sending Crenshaw Gym into a frenzy. The big shots helped RMC run its lead up to 62-29 with 8:33 left in the game. Andrew Clark (Perryville, Md./John Carroll) made a turnaround jumper to give Randolph-Macon its biggest lead of the game at 73-34 with 3:58 on the clock. The Yellow Jackets started their season with a dominant 78-47 victory.
Inside the Numbers:
- Randolph-Macon shot 44.6 percent from the floor, as Christopher Newport knocked down 31.5 percent of its shots.
- The Yellow Jackets outrebounded the Captains 43-to-35 in the entire game.
- Antinori led the Lemon and Black in scoring, recording a career-high 22 points. The senior also added two rebounds, two assists and a steal in the game.
- Hodges scored 16 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out two assists, blocked a shot and tallied one steal.
- Keogh ended the game with a career-high in points (13). The sophomore went 3-for-3 from deep, added three assists and had three steals.
- Clark opened his collegiate campaign with 10 points and five rebounds.
- Hammonds led the team in rebounds with seven overall to go with five points.
For the Record:
- Randolph-Macon has now won its last nine season opening games, dating back to the 2018-19 season.
Up Next
Randolph-Macon will head on the road to #1 Mary Washington on Saturday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m.
