For immediate release – 1/27/2016 - #165
Eddie's Late Three Seals OT Win for the WildCats

SALEM, VA – Jason Eddie hit a three-point shot with 25 seconds remaining in overtime to break a tie and help the Randolph College men's basketball team defeat Roanoke College 91-86 on Wednesday night.  Zach Desgain finished the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) game off with a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining.

Roanoke came into the game as the leader in ODAC and one of the highest scoring teams in the nation, and early parts of the game showed that.  The Maroons jumped out to 9-7 lead, but Corey Brown knocked down his first three of the game just three minutes in to give Randolph the lead.  Ryan Fields, Brown, and Josh Freund then combined to push that advantage to 19-13, at the 15:04 mark.

Over the next three minutes, points proved harder to come by, but Seth Wimbish and Reid Jacoby hit layups putting the score at 23-13.  The Maroons scored the next five points, but the 'Cats responded with eight straight, and 11 of the next 12, including six by Desgain to put the scoreboard at 34-19.

However, Roanoke answered with a burst of its own.  Joey Miller and John Caldwell each tallied five points in an 11-4 run to end the half, but the WildCats still held a 38-30 lead at the intermission.

Randolph came out of the break with a strong push.  While, the Maroons scored four points, it was in between two jumpers by Freund and two threes by Brown, bringing the advantage to 14 after less than three minutes.  But Roanoke came back with seven in a row.  The two teams then traded runs until the 9:21 mark, as the 'Cats led 60-51.

Over the next four minutes, points were exchanged as Fields extended the lead to 10 with 5:34 remaining.  Roanoke then made a run to cut the deficit to 76-72 with only 1:36 remaining after a Caldwell layup.  Following a free throw by Eddie, Miller scored four points after an and-one and a technical free throw.  Brown hit a free throw, before Miller tied the score.  A last chance effort by the WildCats was off the mark as the game would go into overtime.

Brown started off the extra period with another shot from behind the arc.  The hosts would not go silently as they took the lead back after two baskets.  But Eddie stepped up right after, hitting a shot from behind the arc, and taking an 84-82 lead with 3:36 remaining. 

Caldwell tied the score, but Brown grabbed back the advantage with a pair from the line.  Miller once again tied the score at 86.  It set up Eddie's heroics, as Desgain found his classmate for the big three.  Caldwell missed a layup down the other end, only for Eddie to get the rebound before he gave the ball to Desgain to seal the win, and knock off the team that was tied for the top-spot in the conference.

Brown led all WildCats with a season-high 20 points, including four threes.  Five other 'Cats joined him in double-digits: Desgain with 15, Fields, Freund, and Eddie with 12, and Wimbish added 10.  The WildCats had one of their best nights shooting during the season, finishing the game with a 52.6 percentage.  The team also had the second-highest total of assists in a game this year with 18.

Miller tallied a game-high 26, while Caldwell posted 21 for the Maroons (15-3 overall, 7-2 ODAC).

Randolph (10-8, 4-5) returns home for a doubleheader this weekend.  The WildCats take on Shenandoah University (3-15, 0-9) at 2 p.m.  In addition, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the men's basketball team will be hosting a Cancer Awareness Game.  The 'Cats will wear green and teal shirts during warmups to raise awareness for Lymphoma and Ovarian Cancer.