LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Randolph College Men's Basketball Team (9-5, 3-2 ODAC) shot 58.8 percent (10-for-17) from beyond the arc, earning a 70-58 win over visiting Emory & Henry College (2-12, 1-4 ODAC) Wednesday evening in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action.
The WildCats got out to a 15-4 lead at the 13:34 mark of the first half and pressed their advantage to 23-8. Emory & Henry clawed its way back into the contest, using a 15-4 run to trim the margin to 27-23 with under a minute to play in the opening period. A three-point play by Randolph's Zach Desgain made it a seven-point game at the half, 30-23.
Coming out of the locker room, Randolph scored six of the first eight points of the second half to go back up by double digits, 36-25, but Emory & Henry went on a 10-3 run to get within four (39-35) with 14:02 on the clock. The WildCats were able to push their margin back to 10 again, but the Wasps answered back getting to within four points a second time, 49-45.
A 12-3 scoring spurt put Randolph up by 13 with just under four minutes to play. The WildCats would lead by as much as 14 in the final minute of the game, however Wasp sophomore guard Ryan Gravley (Austinville, Va.) made the final margin 70-58, hitting a layup with 40 seconds left to play.
Randolph was led by Seth Wimbish who hit six-of-eight three point attempts for a game-high 24 points. Desgain finished with 19 points, eight boards and nine assists, nearly becoming the first WildCat to notch a double-double while Corey Brown added 10 points and six rebounds.
As a team, the WildCats shot 48.0 percent (24-for-50) for the game to go along with their lights-out shooting from three-point range. Randolph also converted 12 of its 19 free throw attempts and led 36-12 on bench scoring.
Gravley led the way for the Wasps with 14 points, three rebounds and four assists while sophomore guard Myles Turner (Richmond, Va.) had 14 points and two assists. Freshman guard John Shelor (Giles, Va.) tallied eight points and 10 rebounds while sophomore forward Brandon Self (Norfolk, Va.) chipped in eight points, five boards and four blocks.
Emory & Henry was 22-for-57 (38.6%) from the floor, connecting on seven three-pointers. The Wasps held a 34-33 rebounding advantage, including a seven to three margin on the offensive glass.
E&H will remain on the road on Saturday when it travels to Virginia Beach for an ODAC test against No. 8 Virginia Wesleyan College. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15