VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.- The long awaited start to the Randolph men's basketball season finally got underway on Saturday as the WildCats took on host Virginia Wesleyan at Townebank Arena. The Marlins used a sharp three-point shooting performance to defeat the 'Cats 83-68.

The game was neck and neck in the first three minutes as it was tied 5-5 at 17:07. The Marlins then used a 13-0 run to break the contest open and lead 18-5 at the 14:43 mark. VWU's lead grew as it shot 11-of-24 from behind the three-point arc in the half while Randolph was 0-for-8.

While the hosts maintained their lead in the second half, Randolph used a 17-8 run to make it 66-47 with 11:41 remaining to play. During that run, the WildCats hit a trio of three-point baskets with two made by Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) and one by Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill). The 'Cats were able to close the game on a 7-0 run to make the score respectable.

Randolph outscored Virginia Wesleyan 41-32 in the second half. The WildCats improved their shooting performance from the first half as they were 16-of-28 (57.1%) from the field and 4-of-9 on three-point attempts.

"Really impressed with our guys' spirit after we got punched pretty hard to start," said head coach Pete Hamilton. "We struggled a little with the pace early and as Wesleyan got comfortable we just didn't have an answer for the way they were shooting it." 

The WildCats did have an advantage on the glass as they had picked up 41 rebounds to Virginia Wesleyan's 25. The 17 offensive boards by the team led to a 13-8 advantage in second-chance points.

Justin Dula (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central) led the WildCats and all starters with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds. He also led in assists with six. Makle finished with 10 points as did CJ Loving (Madison Heights, Va./Amherst County). Phillips-McLoyd scored nine points in his collegiate debut to go with three rebounds and two assists. Avery Payne (Charlotte, N.C./East Mecklenburg) added eight points and nine rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.

"I think we can clean up the ball security issues and we're confident in our shooters to continue to get good looks and knock them down," noted Hamilton. "Those two improvements coupled with what guys like Justin, CJ and Avery brought to the interior will be a good formula for us moving forward."

Randolph will look to get into the win column on Thursday as it travels to Bridgewater. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.