NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball team faced host Christopher Newport on Friday night in the second game of the CNU Classic. The WildCats hung with the #9 Captains for the majority of the game but CNU would outlast Randolph 66-58.
The WildCats trailed 5-2 less than two minutes into the first half but went on an 8-0 run to go ahead 8-5 with 15:37 showing on the clock. CNU briefly took a 13-12 lead with under 13 minutes to play but the 'Cats came back to lead by five points, 20-15, with 9:19 remaining.
CNU's 18-4 run spanning over six minutes of game time staked it to a 32-24 lead with three minutes to play in the first half. A Brian Smith (Dumfries, Va./C.D. Hylton) jumper cut the Randolph deficit to six points but a Captains layup with 1:17 left would give the home team a 34-26 lead at the break.
Christopher Newport came out of halftime quickly as its 10-2 run staked it to a 44-28 advantage. The game looked to be slipping away for the WildCats but they would not let the Captains run away. Randolph was able to trim the Captain lead to single digits, 52-46, with 9:19 remaining.
A Smith triple got the WildCats to within three points of tying at 54-51 and gave Randolph a chance to move ahead of the Captains. CNU, however, went on a game-changing 10-0 run to move ahead of the 'Cats 64-51 with two minutes to play. Randolph was able to make it a two-possession game following another Smith three-point basket with 26 seconds left but it would be as close as the WildCats could get.
The WildCats had a slightly better shooting percentage than the Captains on the night as it was 23-of-69 (33.3%) to 26-of-80 (32.55). The Captains had a 59-43 advantage in rebounds.
Christopher Newport controlled the paint 28-20. Their bench also had a 32-18 advantage.
Smith led Randolph with 12 points to go with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Justin Dula (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central) added nine points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. CJ Loving (Madison Heights, Va./Amherst County) also had nine points and pulled down five rebounds. Justin Lowe (Reidsville, N.C./Reidsville) finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
The WildCats continue play tomorrow as they take on Mary Washington. Game time will be at 5:00 p.m.
