Randolph College Athletic Department issued the following announcement on Jan. 22
The Randolph men’s basketball team traveled to Bridgewater on Saturday afternoon to face the Eagles. Bridgewater came out on the winning end as it defeated the WildCats 84-70
BC led by as much as eight points, 23-15, with 9:25 remaining in the first half. Randolph used a 14-4 run to go ahead 29-27 with 3:11 showing on the clock. Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) helped key the WildCat run as he attributed for eight of Randolph’s points during that stretch. The Eagles went on a 9-0 run to jump ahead 36-29 with 45 seconds left in the half. Free throws by Bickey and Landon Wagoner (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle School) cut Randolph’s deficit to five points, 36-31, at halftime.
An Evan Makle (Dumfries, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) layup to start the second half cut the WildCat deficit to three points. A Makle three tied the game at 42-42 at 14:31. Bridgewater scored six straight points to take the lead back but Randolph answered with a 7-0 run to go up 49-48 at 10:52. The Eagles’ 18-7 run, however, staked the home team to its biggest lead of the day, 56-66, with 6:46 remaining to play. The WildCats were able to cut their deficit to single digits, 69-62, with 5:05 left. Randolph trailed by nine points, 77-68, with 2:46 remaining to play but Bridgewater closed the game out with a 7-2 run to come away with the win.
“All month – even through struggling results – we really did a nice job of starting games with great spirit and determination,” said head coach Pete Hamilton. “Unfortunately a few things didn’t bounce our way the first part of the first half and it felt like our spirit as a team was very deflated after. We regained it in spurts but just couldn’t figure it out for the long haul.”
Randolph was 22-of-51 (43.1%) from the floor overall. The team’s 53.8% three-point shooting percentage was its second-best for the season to date.
Bickey led with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Jerry Goodman (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian School) scored 14 points and dished out three assists. CJ Loving (Madison Heights, Va./Amherst County) added 11 points and five rebounds. Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) finished with 10 points.
“Jerry and Danny gave us a huge spark when we were struggling to start the game,” noted Hamilton. “Those guys are tough to guard when they are playing free with a spaced floor. It was just hard for us to get enough stops to keep that going. Was glad to have CJ back tonight. He’s obviously a big part of what we do and I’m glad we could work him back in. I know it’s hard on him to have missed so much time but he’s doing a nice job climbing back into the swing of things.”
Randolph hosts cross-city rival Lynchburg this coming Wednesday at Giles Gymnasium. Game time will be at 7:00 p.m.
Original source can be found here.
