SALEM, Va. – Senior Buzz Anthony (Arnold, Md./Archbishop Spalding), the ODAC Player of the Year, had 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the top-seeded and top-ranked Randolph-Macon men's basketball team beat No. 5 Roanoke 75-58 in the semifinals of the 2022 ODAC Tournament to extend its win streak to 20 games.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 75, Bridgewater 58

Venue: Salem Civic Center

Records: R-MC 26-1, RC 18-9

How it Happened:

• Anthony nailed a three-pointer to spark a 7-0 start for the Yellow Jackets. Two free throws by Anthony gave R-MC a 23-9 advantage with 8:45 left in the first half. A triple by Will Coble (Charlotte, N.C./Davidson Day) pushed the lead to 31-13 with five minutes remaining. Treys by Coble and junior Miles Mallory (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) put the Yellow Jackets up 37-15 with 1:25 left. Following two buckets by the Maroons, Coble sank another three-pointer just before the horn to give R-MC a 40-19 cushion at intermission. Anthony had 10 points and Coble added nine in the first 20 minutes.
• Anthony hit a triple to start the scoring in the second stanza, extending the lead to two dozen at 43-19. RC scored six straight points before a jumper by Mallory stopped the run. The Maroons cut the deficit to 17 before a three-pointer by senior Ian Robertson (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) made it 50-30 with 14 minutes remaining. RC closed to within 15 before a layup by junior Josh Talbert (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) gave R-MC a 57-42 lead midway through the second half. A layup by sophomore Daniel Mbangue (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax), a three-pointer by Robertson and a jumper by Anthony extended the lead to 23 at 72-49 with 4:30 left. Coble hit a trey with 30 seconds left to make it 75-56 before the Maroons had the final bucket of the contest to make the final score 75-58.

By The Numbers:

• The Yellow Jackets had four score in double figures. Anthony had 18, Mallory and Robertson both scored 13 while Coble finished with 12.
• R-MC shot 45% from beyond the arc (13-29). Coble was 4 for 6, Anthony was 4 for 8 and Robertson was 3 for 7.
• The Yellow Jackets had a 32-27 advantage on the glass. Mbangue had eight and Anthony grabbed six.
• Anthony and Talbert paced the victors with seven assists each.

For The Record:

• R-MC has won 20 straight games and 43 of its past 44 contests. It is the third-longest win streak in program history.
• Over the past four seasons, R-MC is 93-7 overall (.930) and 49-2 in ODAC contests (.961).
• R-MC is 17-3 all-time in ODAC semifinal contests. The Yellow Jackets are 6-1 all-time against Roanoke in the ODAC Tournament.
• Mallory had two blocks to raise his career total to 165, the second-highest total in program history. Pat Holland owns the R-MC record with 174.
• Anthony had 18 points to give him 1,875 for his career, the third-highest total in program history.
• Anthony had seven assists to give him 746, the most in ODAC history and one away from the program record of 747 by Paul Jez.
• Anthony had four steals to give him 234, the most in program history.
• Josh Merkel tied Nathan Davis with 141 career wins at R-MC, the fourth-highest total in program history. Hal Nunnally had 431, Paul Webb had 315 and Mike Rhoads had 197.

Next Up:

• R-MC will face #3 Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC Championship Game on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. in the Salem Civic Center. The Yellow Jackets are 8-8 in ODAC title games and 6-6 all-time against the Marlins in the ODAC Tournament.