SHENANDOAH, Va.- Randolph men's basketball needed an extra session in their ODAC game with Shenandoah on Saturday afternoon. The Hornets were able to outlast the WildCats by the score of 80-78 in overtime. The loss drops Randolph to 0-8 overall and 0-3 in the conference while Shenandoah moves to 4-3 and 1-1.

Randolph got out to a 5-0 lead in the first half thanks to a layup from Andy Toe (Manassa, Va./Stonewall Jackson) and a three-point basket from Colton Lee (Raleigh, N.C./North Raleigh Christian Academy). The Hornets answered with a quick 7-0 run but the 'Cats took the lead back with another three from Lee. Shenandoah then went ahead 11-8 but once again the WildCats responded back with another trey from Lee that started a 9-2 run and gave Randolph a 17-13 lead with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half.

The two teams traded off the lead and three ties. With the score knotted at 22-22 with 8:37 remaining in the half, Randolph started a 17-7 run to jump ahead 39-29 with 3:14 remaining in the frame. The Hornets were able to slash their deficit to single digits, 39-33, with 1:48 to play. Randolph went into the locker room with an eight-point advantage, 43-35.

In the second half, Randolph saw its lead cut down to 52-50 at the 13:26 mark and then tied at 52-52. Sammy Hooper (Richmond, Va./Midlothian) nailed a three-pointer to give the 'Cats a three-point advantage but four straight points by Shenandoah gave it their first lead of the afternoon, 56-55, with under 12 minutes remaining.

The WIldCats were able to go ahead courtesy of five straight points from Nick Goble (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) to go up 60-56 with 9:43 to play. A pair of ties and one lead change would then occur in the following minutes with Hooper's trey giving the 'Cats a 65-62 lead at 6:20.

Shenandoah held a 68-65 lead with 2:46 to go in regulation but a 7-2 run by the WildCats gave Randolph a 72-70 lead with just over a minute to play.  The Hornets tied it on a layup by Jordan Hunter with 18 ticks left. Hooper tried a potential game-winning three-point shot with four seconds left but it was off the mark and the game went into overtime.

Back-to-back jump shots from Brian Smith (Dumfries, Va./C.C. Hylton) and Goble put the WildCats up 76-72 just over a minute into the extra period. A 7-0 run by the Hornets put the home team on top 79-76 with only 11 seconds to play in extras. Hooper sank a pair of free throws for Randolph to get them to 79-78 with seven seconds remaining. A foul by the WildCats put Shenandoah's Jonah Meredith on the line for two free throws. He made the first but missed the second and Hooper was able to corral the redound on the miss but the WildCats could not get a tying three-point shot off as the Hornets came away with the win.

"Today was the first game since the Mary Washington game we played the smooth pace that we hope will start to define Randolph Basketball," said head coach Pete Hamilton. "Our guys trusted each other all night. I think it was shown thru the 20 assists but I also think we missed a lot of what I would call "good" shots that were uncontested off an unselfish pass. Defensively, we did what we wanted to do for most of the night. Shenandoah had some guys step into the game that haven't seen much time and hit some big time shots when I think we could have pulled away. Kwa McDonald is a heck of a scorer. He got away from us a few times but overall took a lot of shots we wanted to force him into and a credit to him for making some of them."

Four WildCats reached double figures led by Goble's 15 points off the bench. He also added six rebounds. Lee added 14 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Smith had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while also dishing out seven assists. Hooper ended with 10 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Justin Dula (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central) chipped in eight points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

Both teams were even in points in the paint 36-36. Randolph led in bench points 31-28. The WildCats controlled the glass with a 56-46 advantage.

Randolph returns to the court next Saturday when it travels to Southern Virginia. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.