SALEM, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball faced off against Roanoke on Tuesday night at the Cregger Center. A tight game in the first half led way the Maroons pulling away in the second half on their way to a 80-59 win.
The WildCats jumped on the Maroons early after Roanoke scored the game's opening basket as Randolph went on a 9-0 run to go ahead 9-2. The 'Cats saw their lead grow to as much as 10 points, 19-9, with 10:12 remaining in the half. Roanoke came back with an 11-2 run to cut Randolph's lead to a point, 21-20, at 6:27. RC took its first lead since scoring the game's first points at 3:27. Back-to-back three-point buckets by Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) upped the WildCats' lead to 31-28. Roanoke tied then went ahead and Phillips-McLoyd again nailed a trey to give Randolph the lead. A traditional three-point play by the Maroons' Justin Kathan to end the half gave Roanoke a 36-34 lead at halftime.
Phillips-McLoyd kept his hot hand warm to start the second period as he drained another three-point basket to give Randolph back the lead. Roanoke once again took the lead away and stayed ahead with a two-possession advantage. It was still a two-score game at 51-45 with 12:13 remaining to play. The Maroons used a 15-3 run to break away and increase their advantage to 66-48 with 8:04 remaining. Randolph was able to close to 14 points, 66-52, but that was as close as the WildCats could get as the Maroons did not let up the rest of the way.
Overall, Roanoke outshot Randolph 48.3%-35.2%. The Maroons had a slight edge in rebounds, 37-33. The WildCats bench was able to outscore Roanoke's 44-24.
Phillips-McLoyd scored 20 points to lead the WildCats on 6-of-11 shooting and was 4-of-7 behind the three-point arc. Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) added 12 points. Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds. CJ Loving (Madison Heights, Va./Amherst County) led in rebounds with nine.
Randolph will next host Shenandoah on Thursday night at Giles Gymnasium. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.