For immediate release – 2/13/2016 - #188
WildCats Control Game from Start to Finish for Big ODAC Win

HARRISONBURG, VA – The Randolph College men's basketball team dominated the first half, outscoring Eastern Mennonite University by 26 points, on the way to winning 63-42 on Saturday.  The defense proved to be a huge part of the win, shutting down a high-scoring offense in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) game.

Despite an early basket from Josh Freund (19:02) both teams struggled to score early on in the game.  Jerome Jones tied the score with 16:25 left, before Jason Eddie hit a three that would give the 'Cats the lead for good.

Eddie's three (came at 16:02) started a run that lasted over a long duration.  Seth Wimbish was the next player to score, also connecting from distance.  Freund hit another layup before Jones knocked down a triple with 11:36 left in the half.  However, Zach Desgain made two straight from behind the arc to push the lead to 11 at 10:26.

The hosts answered within a minute, but it was countered with a major run by Randolph.  Three seniors combined for 14 points, before Freund finished off the run with a bucket.  Evan Horn and Corey Brown each hit two three-point shots, while Wimbish hit a close one.

EMU scored the next four, but the WildCats tallied seven of the last nine, featuring four by Freund and a three by Ryan Fields.  The defense was even better than the offense in the first.  The WildCats allowed only 13 points and held the Royals to 18.5% shooting, impressive totals that gave Randolph a 39-13 lead at the break.

Coming out of the half, both teams were going back and forth.  Desgain and Freund scored early around a Jones bucket.  Rashawn Latimer scored twice, before Brown hit a three to give Randolph the 46-19 lead with 17:31 left.

The 'Cats then completed an 11-0 run as Desgain, Fields and Wimbish (five points) combined to push the advantage to 33.  Eastern Mennonite scored six of the next eight to cut the deficit, however, Horn then hit a three to push the lead back to 32 with 8:39 remaining.  The WildCats coasted the rest of the way, finishing out the 63-42 win.

The defensive effort held the Royals (10-12 overall, 5-9 ODAC) to 24% shooting for the game, and only 14% (5-34) from three-point range.  In addition, no member of the EMU team scored in double-figures.  The 'Cats also beat Eastern Mennonite on the boards, finishing with a plus-8 advantage.

Freund led Randolph with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Desgain added 12 points, while Wimbish tallied 10.  Brown posted a solid line of nine points and eight rebounds.

Randolph (13-10, 7-7) returns home on Tuesday to begin the last week of the regular season.  The WildCats host Emory & Henry College (13-10, 7-7) at 7 p.m.  The game will also be Faculty and Staff Appreciation, where members of the Randolph community will be honored at halftime.

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