SALEM, Va. – Freshman Josh Talbert (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) had 20 points off the bench and pulled down a season-best seven rebounds as the fifth-ranked and top-seeded Randolph-Macon men's basketball team registered an 80-61 victory over eighth-seeded Hampden-Sydney Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the ODAC Championship.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 80, Hampden-Sydney 61

Location/Venue: Salem, Va./Salem Civic Center

Records: R-MC 24-2, H-SC 14-13

How it Happened:

• The Tigers had the first bucket of the game before a three-point play by junior David Funderburg (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) and a layup by sophomore Ian Robertson (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) gave the Yellow Jackets a 5-2 lead two minutes into the contest. Following a basket by H-SC, junior Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding), the ODAC Player of the Year, hit a jumper and a layup to make it 9-4 with 16:15 left in the first half. The Tigers tallied five straight points before a three-pointer from the corner by Talbert gave R-MC a 12-9 edge with 13:55 remaining. After a Tiger trey, Robertson had a three-point play and a triple to cap a 14-0 run as the Yellow Jackets took a 26-12 lead with 8:40 left. A layup by Funderburg stretched the advantage to 15 at 28-13 with 7:30 remaining. H-SC had seven straight points before a bucket in the paint by Anthony made it 30-20 with four minutes left. Following a triple by the Tigers, a three-pointer by senior Corey Bays (Bel Air, Md./CM Wright) capped a 10-1 spurt as R-MC led 40-24 at intermission. Talbert led with 10 points, while Anthony added nine and Robertson put up eight. Robertson had five rebounds and Anthony dished out four assists. The Yellow Jacket defense forced 12 turnovers.
• Bays buried another trey to start the second half as the lead grew to 19 at 43-24. Sophomore James Nworah (Roanoke, Va./North Cross) had a layup, his first collegiate points, to spark a 10-4 run as R-MC took a 59-38 lead with 12:50 remaining. A layup by Talbert gave the Yellow Jackets a 63-44 lead before the Tigers used a 13-1 run to close within seven. Three-pointers by Bays and Anthony pushed the advantage to 13 at 70-57 with 5:15 left. Another trey by Bays capped a 13-2 run as R-MC led 77-59 with 3:35 remaining. R-MC scored its final three points from the free throw line in recording the 80-61 victory.

By The Numbers:

• R-MC had four score in double figures. Along with 20 by Talbert, Anthony finished with 18, Bays added 15 and Funderburg put in 10.
• The Yellow Jackets had a 40-36 advantage on the boards. Talbert led the way with seven, while Robertson grabbed six. Anthony and Bays both had five. R-MC had a 25-5 edge in second-chance points.
• Anthony had nine assists and junior Terry Woods (Burlington, N.C./Burlington School) dished out five.
• R-MC forced 19 turnovers and committed just six. The Yellow Jackets have been in single digits in turnovers in five straight games and in nine of the past 12 contests. R-MC had a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers.

For The Record

• The Yellow Jackets have won 12 of their past 13 games.
• R-MC beat H-SC for the third time this season. The Yellow Jackets have won seven straight and 11 of the past 13 meetings with H-SC.
• R-MC is 18-13 all-time in quarterfinal games in the ODAC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets are 14-3 in the semifinals. R-MC is 7-8 against H-SC in the ODAC Tournament.
• Freshman Miles Mallory (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti), the ODAC Newcomer of the Year, did not play due to medical reasons.
• Anthony has 1,131 career points, passing Dan Prescott's total of 1,116 and Jordan Brown's total of 1,122 to move into 32nd place in program history.
• Anthony has 461 career assists and is five behind Paul Gartlan, who is in third place in program history.
• Nworah had career highs with three points and four rebounds.
• Senior Kent Kilgroe (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Prep) had three points and matched his career best with four rebounds.

Up Next:

• Randolph-Macon will face the winner of #4 Guilford and #5 Roanoke in the semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 6 p.m.