Feb 23, 2019
SALEM, Va. - Sophomore Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding), the ODAC Player of the Year, scored a career-high 31 points, including going 7 for 8 from the free throw line in the final 37 seconds, as the 5th-ranked and top-seeded Randolph-Macon men's basketball team defeated No. 5 Washington and Lee 65-57 on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament to advance to Sunday's finals and extend its win streak to 12.
The Basics
Score: #1 Randolph-Macon 65, #5 Washington and Lee 57
Location/Venue: Salem, Va./Salem Civic Center
Records: R-MC 25-2, W&L 19-8
How It Happened
- Anthony had a layup and a three-pointer from the corner with the shot clock running down as the Yellow Jackets took a 5-0 lead with 16:40 left in the first period. The Generals pulled within one at 13-12 before a pair of free throws and a trey by senior Darryl Williams (Columbia, Md./Glenelg Country) sparked a 9-0 run as R-MC built a 22-12 lead with 7:45 remaining. A jumper in the lane by freshman Ian Robertson (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) gave the Yellow Jackets a 31-19 with 1:50 left. Following a pileup on the floor going after a loose ball, junior Korey Turner (Midlothian, Va./Amelia Academy) was ejected and Curtis Mitchell from W&L was issued a technical. The Generals scored the final five points of the half and trailed 31-24 at the break. Anthony led the Yellow Jackets with 9 points, while Nowell had 6 points and 6 rebounds. The R-MC defense held W&L to 26% shooting from the floor (7-27) and 1-7 on treys (14%).
- W&L started the half on a 17-3 run and took a 41-34 lead with 13:40 left. A layup by Anthony ended the spurt. A three-pointer gave the Generals their largest lead at 44-36 with 10:30 remaining. R-MC had a 15-2 run to take a 51-46 lead with eight minutes remaining. During the run, Anthony hit a trey to put R-MC ahead for good at 47-46. Anthony had a layup and senior Luke Neeley (Orange, Va./Woodberry Forest) hit a jumper to cap the spurt. W&L pulled within one before a three-pointer by Neeley and a layup by Anthony extended the Yellow Jacket lead to 56-50 with 5:10 left. The Generals cut the deficit in half before a layup by Williams put R-MC up 58-53 with 2:25 remaining. After a bucket by W&L made it a one-possession game, Anthony hit 7 of 8 free throw attempts in the final 37 seconds to secure the 65-57 victory.
By The Numbers
- Anthony had 22 of his 31 points in the second half. He had 10 field goals, 3 from beyond the arc, and 8 for 9 from the charity stripe. Anthony also grabbed 8 rebounds, all on the defensive end.
- Neeley also scored in double figures, putting up 14. He had 5 field goals, 4 of which were three-pointers.
- Nowell had 6 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
- The Yellow Jackets held W&L to a season-low 57 points. The previous low for the Generals was 71. R-MC entered the game 4th in the nation in scoring defense at 61.6 points per game.
- The R-MC defense forced 17 turnovers and the Yellow Jackets had 12 points off turnovers.
- R-MC committed just 7 turnovers. The Yellow Jackets entered the game ranked 6th in the country in turnovers per game at 10.1.
Notes
- R-MC is now 14-3 in ODAC Tournament semifinal contests. The Yellow Jackets are 6-7 in championship games.
- Anthony was the first Yellow Jacket this season to score 30 in a game.
Up Next
- Randolph-Macon will face the winner of #2 Guilford and #6 Roanoke in the finals on Sunday at 1 p.m.