LYNCHBURG, Va.- While the game was an exhibition in the scorebook, it didn't feel like that on Friday night as the Randolph men's basketball team hosted Mary Baldwin at Giles Gymnasium. The WildCats saw their big halftime lead disappear in the second half but recovered to eventually retake the lead and defeat the Fighting Squirrels 79-76.
The WildCats trailed 17-14 with 11:09 showing on the game clock in the first half. Randolph then went on a 22-2 run to take a 36-19 lead with 4:44 to play in the period. The Fighting Squirrels then went on a run of their own, 16-2, to close out the half as the WildCats held on to a 38-35 advantage at the break.
The Randolph lead was down to one point, 41-40, at the 16:38 mark of the second half. Eight straight points from Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) put the WildCat lead up to nine points, 49-40, at 14:18. A 12-1 run covering just under three minutes of game time pushed the 'Cat lead in to double-digits, 65-48, with 9:18 remaining to play. A 28-7 run by Mary Baldwin, erased Randolph's advantage and gave the visitors their first lead since the first half, 76-72, with 1:26 left on the game clock.
A three-point basket by Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) cut the Randolph deficit to one and following a Mary Baldwin offensive foul, Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) converted a layup with 29 seconds left. A foul on the Fighting Squirels with just over two ticks left put Justin Dula (Taylorsville, N.C./Alexander Central) on the charity stripe and he made both attempts. Mary Baldwin tried to heave a pass to midcourt with time winding down but the try was thwarted and the WildCats hung on for the win.
"We were glad to get out of here tonight with a W," said head coach Pete Hamilton after the game. "Mary Baldwin never quit - it was impressive how they continued to battle and hit some really big 3's after we extended our lead a few times."
Makle led Randolph with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and also dished out four assists. Bickey added 20 points. Dula added 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots.
"Evan and Bickey gave us great production and we needed every bit of it tonight, noted Hamilton. "I thought we ended up in a sort of fog at times and both of those guys helped lift us out of it offensively. There are certainly some focus and detail mistakes we need to correct before we play again on Sunday."
The WildCats host cross-city rival Lynchburg this coming Sunday at Giles Gymnasium. Game time will be at 12:00 p.m.
