ASHLAND, Va. - The Randolph-Macon College Men's Basketball team used a tough defensive effort to down #22 TCNJ and advance to the Sweet 16 round.
The Basics:
Score: #4 Randolph-Macon 68, #22 TCNJ 45
Venue: Ashland, Va. // Crenshaw Gym // Randolph-Macon College
Records: Randolph-Macon (27-3, 14-2 ODAC), TCNJ (22-7, 14-4 NJAC)
How it Happened:
- Randolph-Macon began the game on a 7-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer by Keishawn Pulley Jr. (Richmond, Va./St. Christopher's School). TCNJ answered by scoring eight of the next ten points, cutting the RMC lead to 9-8 with 15:08 left on the clock. Mason Mangione nailed a three ball to bring the Lions back to a tie ballgame at 11-11 with 11:30 left in the first half. Malcolm Hodges (Richmond, Va./Monacan) led the Yellow Jackets on a 9-0 run with six points and shot RMC into the lead 20-11 with 8:54 left on the clock. TCNJ did cut the deficit to six points (23-17) after a bucket by Jonathan Okocha. Randolph-Macon used four straight points to grow the lead back to double digits, leading 27-17 with 5:30 left in the half. Theo Antinori (Asheville, N.C./Rabun Gap) and Hodges had back-to-back buckets in the final moments of the half, giving the Lemon and Black a 33-21 lead at halftime.
- In the second half, Randolph-Macon scored seven of the first nine points again capped off by a Pulley Jr. three ball and pushed the Yellow Jackets to a 40-23 lead with 17:47 on the clock. TCNJ kept fighting and got the deficit to 13 points, following a Okocha three-pointer and RMC held the lead 49-36 with 10:59 left in regulation. Amr Ariekat (Ramallah, Palestine./Langley) and Ty Showalter (Charlotte, N.C./Butler) nailed back-to-back triples to give the Lemon and Black a 58-39 lead with 6:54 left in the game. Jabril Robinson (Rockville, Md./South Kent Prep) pushed the lead to 20 points (60-39) for RMC with a bucket soon after. Ariekat made two free throws with just :30 seconds left in the game to give Randolph-Macon its biggest lead of the game and the final score of the game. The Yellow Jackets held the Lions to tough buckets and overall opportunities and a 68-45 win puts RMC into the Sweet 16.
Inside the Numbers:
- Randolph-Macon shot 46.2 percent from the floor, as TCNJ knocked down 34.0 percent of its shots.
- The Yellow Jackets outrebounded the Lions 39-to-28 in the entire game.
- Pulley Jr. led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 15 points. The senior nailed four three-pointers and added two assists in the game.
- Robinson and Hodges both ended the game with 12 points each. The duo also combined for 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists.
- Ariekat and Antinori both scored nine points each in the game for the Lemon and Black. The duo combined for seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
- Showalter pulled down seven rebounds to go with his five points overall.
For the Record:
- Pulley Jr. passed Joey Allen '77 for 19th on the all-time scoring list with 1,335 points.
- Randolph-Macon will appear in the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in seven straight tournament appearances (2020-21 season did not have a NCAA Tournament).
Up Next
Randolph-Macon will take on #22 TCNJ in the NCAA second round tomorrow night at 6:45 p.m.
