RALEIGH, N.C.- The Randolph men's basketball team returned to the hardwood for the first time in 2026 as the WildCats traveled to William Peace on Friday. Four WildCats scored in doubles figures as Randolph won 82-72.
The victory, which ended a four-game winless streak, improved Randolph's record to 4-7 overall. The Pacers fall to 6-5 on the season.
The Pacers scored the first two baskets of the first half to get out to a 4-0 lead. Randolph responded with a 15-7 run to go ahead 15-11 at just under the 13-minute mark. William Peace battled to overtake the 'Cats to take a 22-21 lead with 6:48 remaining in the period. With the score tied at 23-23, Randolph went on a 21-8 run to go up 44-32 at the break. The WildCats held the Pacers to without a field goal in the last four and a half minutes of game time.
In the second half, the WildCats upped their advantage to 19 points, 55-36, at the 16:40 mark as they started the period off on an 11-4 run. Randolph took its biggest lead of the afternoon, 68-48, with 11:48 left in the half. A William Peace 19-4 run that spanned nearly 10 minutes of game time pulled the home team to within four points, 74-70, with under five minutes to play in regulation. It was still a two-possession contest, 76-72, at the under four-minute mark but Randolph outscored the Pacers 6-0 down the stretch to pull away for the victory.
Randolph shot 31-of-65 (47.7%) from the floor and was 10-of-28 (35.7%) from behind the three-point arc. William Peace was 22-of-53 (41.5%) overall and 6-of-21 (28.6%) in three-point shots. The Pacers led in rebounds 41-30. The WildCats led in the paint 38-26 and in points off turnovers 20-7.
Aveion Tucker (Newport News, Va./Woodside HS) led the WildCats with 21 points and added four assists. Khalil Caple (Suffolk, Va./Kings Fork HS) added 18 points. Elijah Cox (Galax, Va./Carroll County) chipped in 11 points and Viktor Parson (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) 10 points. Trey Miller (Virginia Beach, Va./Green Run HS) was the team leader in rebounds with 13.
The WildCats resume ODAC play on Wednesday when they travel to Bridgewater. Game time will be at 7:00 pm.
