ASHLAND, Va. – Senior Josh Talbert (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) put up 14 points in 19 minutes with five rebounds, five steals and four assists as the third-ranked Randolph-Macon men's basketball team defeated Merchant Marine 86-35 in the first round of the Suyes Yellow Jacket Classic on Monday evening.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 86, Merchant Marine 35

Venue: Crenshaw Gym

Records: R-MC 8-1, USMMA 3-7

How it Happened:

• Talbert had six of the first 10 points for the Yellow Jackets and freshman Kyle Keener (Canton, Ga./Sequoyah) hit a three-pointer to cap a 15-0 start for R-MC with 15:30 left in the first half. A second trey by Keener put the home team up 22-4 with 12:35 remaining. After a bucket by the Mariners, junior Will Coble (Charlotte, N.C./Davidson Day) buried a triple to finish a 10-0 spurt as the lead grew to 32-6 with eight minutes left. A dunk by freshman Bryce Scott (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day) extended the advantage to 30 at 38-8 with 5:15 remaining. Senior Miles Mallory (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) had six of the final eight points of the half for the Yellow Jackets as they led 46-14 at the break. Mallory paced R-MC with 11 points, while Keener added eight.
• Junior Daniel Mbangue (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) had four of the first six points of the second half as R-MC pushed the advantage to 52-14 with 18:15 remaining. A follow by senior Noah Lindsay (Moseley, Va.)/Benedictine) gave the Yellow Jackets a 40-point lead at 61-21 with 13:55 left. Freshman Liam Joyce (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) had two late buckets, the second with 23 seconds left that gave R-MC its largest lead at 86-35, the game's final score.

By The Numbers:

• The Yellow Jackets had three score in double figures. Along with 14 by Talbert, Mallory scored 11 and Mbangue added 10. Sophomore Vincent Payne (Frederick, Md./St. Maria Goretti) hit three treys for nine points. Lindsay matched his career high with eight points.
• R-MC had a 56-16 advantage on points in the paint and 39-18 edge on bench points.
• The Yellow Jackets had a 40-30 advantage on the boards. Lindsay had a career-best nine rebounds, including five offensive caroms.
• Mallory recorded one blocked shot. He has 207 career blocks, the most in program history.
• Talbert had four assists, as did freshman Keishawn Pulley Jr. (Louisa, Va./St. Christopher's), who matched his season high.
• R-MC held USMMA to 35 points, the lowest opponent total for the Yellow Jackets this season. It was the fourth time R-MC held a team below 50 points and the sixth time under 60 points.
• The 14 points scored by the Mariners in the first half matched the lowest point total for any R-MC opponent in any half this season. The Yellow Jackets held Eastern Mennonite to 14 points in the second half on Dec. 7.
• The Yellow Jackets committed a season-low six turnovers. R-MC has averaged 9.2 turnovers over the past five games after averaging 20 in its first three contests this season.

Next Up:

Randolph-Macon will face No. 23 Stockton in the championship game of the inaugural Suyes Yellow Jacket Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m. The Ospreys defeated No. 20 Mary Washington 80-66 in Monday's first contest. The Eagles will meet Merchant Marine in the consolation game at 2 p.m.