Posted: Jan 18, 2012
Roanoke, which evened the series 3-3 against Randolph, is one victory shy of program-win #1,300. Only 20 schools in Div. III history hold that claim.
The WildCats have now lost their last five conference games, with their last conference win coming December 3 at home against Washington & Lee. Randolph came out of the gates firing, knocking down two threes in the opening minutes to take an early six-point lead.
Roanoke responded, going on a 10-1 run as the lead changed hands with 12:43 to go. Jack Hamilton scored back-to-back buckets to cap a run and give the Maroons their first lead of the game.
Colton Hunt's three-pointer put WildCats back on top, 12-10, one of his five treys on the night. That was the last time the host ‘Cats would lead all night, as Roanoke went into halftime with a four-point edge at 32-28.
The Maroons, who won their first conference game of the season, were up by 13 points with 12-minutes remaining. Adam Kessler, who scored 11 points and pulled down a team-best five rebounds, knocked down a jumper to cap an 11-4 run over a span of five minutes. He posted two assists and a career-high three blocked shots and shot 5-of-9 from the floor.
The WildCats inched back, after another triple from Hunt made it a two-point game, 52-50 with four-minutes left. Derrick Woods-Morrow earned a hoop plus the harm a minute later to pull his squad to within one, 56-55. Over the next two minutes of play, both teams exchanged baskets to keep the game close.
Julian Ramirez made a lay-up off a nice dish from Kessler with under 35-seconds to play to make it a three-point game. After two missed shots from Randolph, Ramirez would net a fast break layup to push it to a five-point spread. Woods-Morrow made a lay-up shortly after that to put the score at 62-59. Randolph pressed and forced a turnover in the backcourt to line up one last shot.
After the inbounds, the host WildCats got deep look from three to tie it, but it rimmed out. Woods-Morrow snatched the rebound and dished it to Zach Desgain who took a three at the buzzer but Kessler blocked the attempt on the way up to seal the win for the Maroons.
Roanoke scored 22 points off 16 Randolph turnovers, shot a season-high 55.1% (27-of-49) from the floor, outscored the WildCats, 28-18 in the paint and 25-15 off the bench. They also tied a season-best 14 steals.
Hamilton led the Maroons with 10 points and a career-best six assists. Logan Singleton and Kwasi Amponsah led Roanoke with 12 points and four rebounds each. Amponsah notched a career-high six steals .
The men return home on Saturday in ODAC action as they host Bridgewater at the Bast Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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