FREDERICK, Md. - The Randolph-Macon men's basketball team used a 26-0 run in the first half to open the season with an 83-56 victory over Immaculata Friday evening in the first round of the 2018 MMI Tip-Off Tournament, hosted by Hood College.

The Basics

Score: Randolph-Macon 83, Immaculata 56

Location/Venue: Frederick, Md./BB&T Arena

Records: R-MC 1-0, IU 0-2

How It Happened

• Senior Jon Nowell (Riverdale, Ga./Blair Academy) had the first bucket of the game and the season for the Yellow Jackets before the Mighty Macs tallied six straight to go up 6-2 three minutes into the contest. IU held a 14-9 advantage with 12:10 left in the first half before a baseline jumper by senior Luke Neeley (Orange, Va./Woodberry Forest) sparked a 26-0 R-MC run over the next nine minutes to take a 35-14 lead with 3:15 remaining. Eight different Yellow Jackets scored in the run, led by senior Grayson Midulla (Glen Allen, Va./Glen Allen) with eight. Sophomore Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding) sank a pair of free throws with 1:24 left to give the Yellow Jackets a 42-20 lead at intermission. Midulla paced R-MC with 15 first-half points. R-MC shot 55% from the floor (16-29) and held IU to 29% (8-28).
• Anthony and Neeley both hit a pair of treys as the Yellow Jackets started the second half on an 18-5 spurt to take a 60-25 lead with 13:30 remaining. The lead was as large as 36 multiple times before R-MC posted the 83-56 win.

By The Numbers

• Midulla finished with 17 points, one of four Yellow Jackets to score in double figures. Anthony had 13, Neeley put up 12 and Nowell tallied 10.
• R-MC shot 51.5% from the floor (34-66), and 65% inside the arc (26-40). The Yellow Jackets had 50 points in the paint.
• Sophomore David Funderburg (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds in 13 minutes. R-MC held a 38-36 advantage on the boards.
• Anthony had five of R-MC's 18 assists. He also had three of his team's nine steals.

Notes

• R-MC head coach Josh Merkel earned a season-opening win in his hometown of Frederick, Md.

Up Next

• Randolph-Macon will face host Hood on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. in the Championship Game of the 2018 MMI Tip-Off Tournament.