Lynchburg Reporter

Randolph College Athletic Department issued the following announcement on Feb. 5

The Randolph men's basketball team hosted Ferrum in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference game on Saturday afternoon at Giles Gymnasium. Four WildCats reached double figures in scoring as Randolph defeated the Panthers 88-64.

The win is the first season sweep of Ferrum by Randolph since the Panthers joined the ODAC in the 2018-19 season. Randolph improves to 5-15 overall and 2-10 in the conference. Ferrum drops to 5-16 overall and 0-12 in the ODAC.

"Our guys did a great job of executing from the jump today," said head coach Pete Hamilton after the game.  "We've been trying to stress the importance of simple and solid play for 40 minutes. I was proud of the way our guys bought in to what we were trying to accomplish today and stayed the course."

The WildCats started off hot in the first half as they made just over 60% of their field goals and 62.5% on their three-point attempts. The difference was three points, 10-7, at the 17:11 mark. Back-to-back three pointers by Danny Bickey (Beckley, W.V./Woodrow Wilson) staked the 'Cats to a nine-point advantage with 16:31 showing on the clock.

Leading 21-16, Randolph went on a 12-0 run to jump ahead 33-16 with 9:35 remaining in the half. An 11-2 run by FC brought its deficit down to eight points, with 6:22 left. A 10-3 WildCat run brought their advantage back up to 15 points. A pair of threes by Jerry Goodman (Suffolk, Va./Portsmouth Christian School) gave Randolph a 53-36 lead at the break.

The WildCats never let up in the second half as their lead never dipped below 15 points. Randolph led 58-40 at 17:47. A 16-5 Randolph run gave the WildCats its biggest lead of the afternoon, 74-45, and the 'Cats cruised for the remainder of the game.

"Our "guard by committee" style was special today and really got us out to the lead and built some confidence for us, noted Hamilton.  "Bickey started things up as we were trying to highlight him early – once he hits a few shots our guys do a nice job of realizing that we need to keep letting the ball find him throughout possessions.  He's such a tough cover because of his shooting ability – but he can also attack poor closeouts.  Half his makes were two-pointers today which turns his scouting report into so much more than just "shooter".

Overall, the WildCats shot 32-of-60 (53.3%) which tied for their second-best in made baskets this season. The team's 14-of-28 performance (50%) from behind the three-point arc tied for their season-best in made three-point shots. Randolph also performed well at the charity stripe with a 10-of-14 (71.4%) performance.

Randolph led in total rebounds 38-26. The WildCats led in second chance points (20-11) and had a slight edge in points in the paint (28-26).

Bickey and Jordan Phillips-McLoyd (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) both finished with 20 points each. Goodman had 19 points and dished out three assists. CJ Loving (Madison Heights, Va./Amherst County) added 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists.

"Jerry Goodman took advantage of switching today and really continued to keep pressure on their defense," noted Hamilton.  "He has great decision making ability when he's playing downhill and his efficiency today kept us confident throughout.  Cole was able to find him for two big threes late in the first half that helped us get into the locker room with a bigger buffer on the scoreboard. Jordan Phillips-McLoyd and CJ Loving each provided great boosts for us while playing their role well.  Jordan's ability to make teams pay for going under on ball screens and CJ's ability to make teams pay for switching were both highlighted.  Those guys made some buckets within the offense that were just solid basketball decisions."

Randolph makes the short trip across town to face cross-city rival Lynchburg on Tuesday night. Game time will be at 7:00 p.m. The WildCats will look to avenge their 88-64 defeat to the Hornets back on January 26.

"I am proud that our guys were able to earn a W today," said Hamilton.  "We've got an important stretch to finish the season and we need to keep our head down to continue to earn our place moving forward."

Original source can be found here.