SALEM, Va. -- Junior Adam Brazil (Mooresville, NC) scored 20 points to lead 20th-ranked Hampden-Sydney College to a hard-fought 78-69 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal win past Virginia Wesleyan University on Friday night at the Salem Civic Center in Salem. Junior Davidson Hubbard (Charlotte, NC) contributed his 13th double-double with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the #2 seed Tigers (21-5), while senior Ryan Clements (Conyers, GA) added 15 points and junior Alex Elliott (Marietta, GA) had 10 points off the bench. H-SC led 37-35 at halftime and used a late 17-7 run to take control toward its 12th win in last 13 games, and 19th in last 21. Omari DeVeaux scored a game-high 22 points for the #7 seed Marlins (17-9).

"One at a time," said fourth-year head coach Caleb Kimbrough. "Hard-fought win tonight. I thought we were locked-in and stayed together all game. Quick turnaround and have to do it again tomorrow."

H-SC, ranked No. 20 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 and No. 4 in Region VI of the all-important NCAA Division III Regional Rankings, fell behind early as VWU led 8-2 at 17:59. The Tigers took their first lead at 12-11 with 15:50 on the first-half clock after a three-point field goal by Brazil—his second in the opening 4:10, and the Garnet & Grey extended their advantage to 23-15 at 8:44 following fast-break layup from Clements that closed a 21-7 run—Brazil and Hubbard each scoring six quick points to spark the outburst. The Marlins fought back with a 15-7 run of their own to tie it at 30-30 with 4:46 left in the half, but H-SC answered with another fast-break layup by senior Chase Turner (Virginia Beach), another three-pointer from Brazil and a two-handed slam dunk in traffic by Clements to lead 37-32 toward a 37-35 lead at the intermission.

H-SC and VWU played evenly to begin the second half with the higher seed leading 44-41 at 17:21 after another three-pointer by Brazil, and the lead was 46-44 at 16:37 following a layup from Hubbard. The Marlins went ahead 47-46 at 15:12, before the Tigers put together a 17-7 run to take control and lead 63-54 with 5:53 remaining—Elliott getting it started with a three-pointer and layup, followed by a three-pointer by junior DJ Wright (Greensboro, GA), four quick points from Hubbard, a free throw by junior Josiah Hardy (Ashburn), two free throws from Brazil and a turnaround jumper on the baseline by Clements. VWU closed to within 67-63 at 2:29, but H-SC outscored the lower seed 11-6 over the final 2:01—getting seven late points from Clements, including a high-soaring offensive rebound and tip-in—for the victory to advance in the tournament.

Brazil led H-SC with his 20 points, including 6-8 field goals (4-6 three-pointers) and 4-4 free throws, adding four rebounds. Hubbard finished with his 13th double-double of 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Tigers, adding a game-high two blocked shots, as well. Clements contributed 15 points and three assists, while Elliott added 10 points and six rebounds. H-SC shot 51% (29-57) from the field, including 38% (8-21) on three-pointers, and 75% (12-16) at the free throw line.

DeVeaux led VWU with his game-high 22 points, adding a game-high five assists. Jordan Crump had 11 points for the Marlins, while Amari Moorer and Eric Rowland each contributed 10 points. VWU shot 36% (22-61) from the field, including 31% (8-26) on three-pointers, and 85% (17-20) at the line.

H-SC advances to the semifinals of the 2023 ODAC Tournament to play either No. 3 seed Guilford (NC) or No. 6 seed Bridgewater on Saturday night, February 25, at 8 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center. The Tigers last played in the semifinals in 2014. The game will be broadcast and can be heard locally on WVHL Radio, Kickin' Country 92.9 FM, pregame airing at 7:30 p.m., and will also be available worldwide on the Internet at wvhl.net or via the TuneIn Radio App, while available to watch as well on the ODAC Sports Network.