ASHLAND, Va. – Freshman Josh Talbert (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) tallied season highs with 22 points and seven assists, and junior David Funderburg (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) scored a career-best 16 points, as the ninth-ranked Randolph-Macon men's basketball team beat Bridgewater 97-55 in ODAC action on Wednesday evening.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 97, Bridgewater 55

Location/Venue: Ashland, Va./Crenshaw Gym

Records: R-MC 8-0, 3-0 ODAC; Bridgewater 2-5, 0-2 ODAC

How it Happened:

• After the Eagles had the first bucket of the ballgame, junior Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding) had two layups and a follow to give the Yellow Jackets a 6-2 lead 3:40 into the contest. Consecutive baskets by Talbert gave R-MC an 18-7 advantage with 11:20 left in the first half. BC cut the deficit to eight before a layup and trey by sophomore Ian Robertson (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) sparked a 17-0 run as the Yellow Jackets took a 37-12 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first period. During the spurt, freshman Miles Mallory (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) had two buckets, seniors Corey Bays (Bel Air, Md./CM Wright) and Korey Turner (Midlothian, Va./Amelia Academy) had back-to-back three-pointers, and Anthony capped the run with a layup. A layup and two free throws by Talbert gave the home team a 28-point lead at 48-20 with 1:38 left. The Yellow Jackets would take a 50-25 lead to the locker room at the break. Anthony had 13 and Talbert put up 12 in the first half for R-MC.
• R-MC scored its first seven buckets of the second half on layups, and a free throw by junior Terry Woods (Burlington, N.C./Burlington School) gave the Yellow Jackets a 30-point advantage at 65-35 with 14:05 left in the second period. Three straight layups baskets in the paint by Funderburg and a free throw by Woods pushed the lead to 32 at 74-42 with 10:34 remaining. The Eagles hit a trey with 8:46 remaining to make it 79-50, but the R-MC defense held BC to one field goal the rest of the way. Freshman Alex Fabiato (Richmond, Va./Steward School) nailed a three-pointer with 27 seconds left, his first collegiate points, to give the Yellow Jackets their largest lead in the final score of 97-55.

By The Numbers:

• The Yellow Jackets had their highest point total of the season with 97. Their previous high was 84 in the win at St. Mary's (Md.)
• R-MC entered the game leading the country in scoring defense at 52.4. That number moved to 52.8 following the contest.
• The Yellow Jackets were second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense at 33.0%. R-MC held BC to 32.8% (19-58).
• R-MC had four score in double figures. Along with 22 by Talbert and 16 by Funderburg, Anthony finished with 17 and Mallory added 18.
• Talbert was a perfect shooter, going 9 for 9 from the floor, 1 for 1 from behind the arc, and 3 for 3 from the free throw line.
• Funderburg went 7 for 8 from the floor.
• R-MC shot 63.6% from the floor (42-66), including 70% in the second half (21-30). The home team shot 72% (36-50) inside the arc.
• The Yellow Jackets held a 70-20 advantage on points in the paint, 27-3 for points off turnovers and 45-9 on bench points.
• R-MC had a 41-32 advantage on the boards. Mallory pulled town eight and Turner grabbed a season-high six.
• The Yellow Jackets had 22 assists compared to seven turnovers. Talbert had seven assists, while Anthony dished out six and Turner tallied a season-high five.

For The Record

• The Yellow Jackets have held six of eight opponents to 55 points or less this season.

Up Next:

• Randolph-Macon will host No. 18 Christopher Newport on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. in Crenshaw Gym. It will be a Yellow Swarm game. R-MC fans are asked to wear yellow to show their support of the Yellow Jackets.