Posted: Jan 10, 2015
Three Maroons finished in double-figures, as the team was led by Cameron Smith, who tallied 15 points on the evening. Smith shot 5-10 from the field, hitting a team-high three shots from behind the arc. He also led the team in rebounds, pulling down seven boards in the effort. Carter Wright ranked second on the squad with an 11 point day. Wright shot 4-6 from the field and tallied two assists and one steal. Freshman Joey Miller tallied his second career double-digit scoring effort, putting up 10 points against Randolph. He finished with four rebounds and one assist as well.
Roanoke got on the board first in the contest, as Julian Ramirez hit a layup to start the scoring in the contest. The teams traded lead five times over the first four minutes, as baskets came from a three by John Fitchett and a pair of free throws by Cameron Smith. Smith's free throws gave Roanoke a 7-6 lead with 16:11 to play in the half. Andrew Daniels added to the cause with a three-pointer of his own to take a four point advantage. Minutes later, Randolph's Seth Wimbish hit three consecutive shots, including two three-pointers to give the WildCats a 17-10 lead, seven minutes into the contest. Joey Miller put up five consecutive points, but Wimbish knocked down another three to keep Randolph ahead by five.
Roanoke continued to answer for Randolph's scoring with shots from behind the arc, but not at a fast enough rate. Smith and Miller hit a three-pointer each, but Randolph's Corey Brown and Gordon Rogo combined for 10 points during that span. Daniel Eacho got hot in the final five minutes of the first half, scoring eight points. Those eight points were part of a Roanoke 17-9 run in the closing moments of the half, which also saw five points from Carter Wright. After Eacho capped the half with a layup in the final four seconds, Roanoke entered the locker room with a 40-39 lead.
Randolph tied the game twice in the first two minutes of the second half, but didn't take the lead as Cameron Smith and Andrew Daniels answered for each of the WildCats' shots. The Maroons created some separation after a big dunk by Daniels and a jumper by Ramirez, as Roanoke led 48-44 with 16:55 to play. Roanoke maintained a four-point lead, despite the persistence of the WildCats. Ryan Fields hit a layup with 12:19 on the clock, but Smith came down the court and knocked down a trey to keep the Roanoke lead at four. However, Randolph made four consecutive three-pointers after that, quickly reclaiming the lead and taking a 65-59 advantage with 9:29 to play. Smith closed the gap with a three of his own, but Randolph's Brown and Reid Jacoby each hit another three for the WildCats, extending the lead to nine points, 71-62. Eddie Jason added another three-pointer, as Randolph had had scored seven three-point baskets in a row. The Maroons hit just a few field goals after that Randolph run, including a Ramirez layup with 4:34 to keep the Maroons within 10, 77-67. However, the WildCats scored three more baskets in a row, then Wimbish hit Randolph's final basket, a three-pointer, with 1:06 to play to go up by 17, 86-69. Eli Sumpter and Dustin Hassell combined for the final five points of the game, with Hassell, fittingly, hitting a three-pointer to close the contest. Roanoke fell in Saturday's game, 86-74 to Randolph.
Randolph had four players who scored 10 points or more. Corey Brown put up 22 points against the Maroons, hitting 7-10 from the field. He also finished with seven rebounds and three assists. Seth Wimbish came off of the bench for 19 points, with a 5-7 clip from behind the arc. Jason Eddie scored 16 points with four three pointers, while Zach Desgain had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Randolph hit 55.4 percent of its shots on the evening, while the Maroons finished with a mark of 41.8 percent from the field. Randolph also shot 53.8 percent from behind the arc, knocking down 14 three pointers. The Maroons kept up with the WildCats on the long range shots, as Roanoke hit 10 treys in the contest. The rebounding was fairly even, with Randolph holding a 33-32 advantage. Roanoke was 8-9 from the free throw line for a mark of 88.9 percent, the Maroons' best free throw rate this season.
The Maroons return to action on Wednesday, January 14th as they travel to take on Washington and Lee in ODAC action. That contest is scheduled for a 7:00 PM tip-off.
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