For immediate release – 1/20/2016 - #158
Desgain's Jumper wins it for the WildCats

LYNCHBURG, VA – Zach Desgain hit a pull-up jumper in the paint with 0.5 seconds on the clock, giving the Randolph College men's basketball team the 57-55 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) win over Hampden-Sydney College on Wednesday.

The first half set the defensive tone for the whole game.  After quick baskets by both teams, the scoring began to slow down.  Points were exchanged on both sides, with neither team gaining a lead larger than three until the 4:08 mark, when JaVonte Reddick made a three for H-SC.  It put the visitors up four, but Jason Eddie answered with a three of his own, just over a minute later.

After a pair of free throws by Hampden-Sydney, the WildCats took the lead, thanks to back-to-back baskets by Desgain.  The second one came off a steal that led to a fast-break layup.  Corey Brown then hit two from the charity stripe before the end of the half to give the 'Cats a 29-26 advantage at the half.

Randolph came out of the intermission very strongly.  Eddie knocked down a three off a pass by Ryan Fields on the first possession.  However, the defense was stifling on both sides as neither team could find the bottom of the net.  Then, at 17:08, Josh Freund hit a shot from close range to give the 'Cats an eight point lead.

H-SC came right back and cut the deficit to three.  But, Reid Jacoby was there to hit a three to extend it back to six.  At 12:13, Eddie once again knocked down a shot from distance, putting the WildCats up nine, their largest of the night.  But in a game like this, the lead would not last.  Hampden-Sydney cut it to five after a Josh Katowitz layup.

The two sides traded baskets, before Gray Cheers brought the visitors within two.  Andrew Evans cut it to one, but Eddie hit another three, before Fields and Desgain combined for three points to put Randolph up 48-41 with 6:46 left.

Following a short burst by the Tigers, the teams began to trade points until Guilherm Guimaraes hit two free throws to cut the deficit to three with three minutes left.  On the next possession, Jacoby knocked down another big three to put the WildCats up six.

Randolph was held scoreless over the final couple of minutes.  Guimaraes and Katowitz scored for the visitors, bringing H-SC within two points with 1:09 remaining.  The 'Cats turned the ball over with 41 seconds, giving the Tigers the ball back.  Mitch Owens scored off a pass from Mike Murray to tie the score with 22 seconds left.

Randolph called a timeout and the hosts got the ball in before the five-second violation.  Then, with the clock winding down, Desgain drove into the paint, jump stopped, and hit the eight-footer.  The Tigers inbounded the ball but could not score.

Eddie finished with a game-high 15 points, with all of them coming from deep.  Freund added 12, and Desgain and Jacoby both finished with nine.  The two guards combined for 10 assists.  Mitch Owens led the Tigers (12-4 overall, 4-3 ODAC) with 13 points.

Randolph (9-7, 3-4) will return to the road this weekend depending on the winter weather.  The WildCats are supposed to play Saturday at 2 p.m. at Emory & Henry College, but the game may be postponed.  Please check randolphwildcats.com for further updates.

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