For immediate release - 2/6/2009 - #1778
Randolph-Macon Defeats Lynchburg 62-58
LYNCHBURG, VA - The Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets prevailed 62-58 over the Lynchburg College Hornets in Turner Gymnasium in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) contest Saturday afternoon.
RMC went into the half with a 29-20 lead after a Justin Short layup with seven seconds remaining. The Yellow Jackets pushed the lead out to 12 with 14:11 left in the game, but the Hornets knotted the contest at 52-52 with 5:15 remaining after going on a 19-9 run. RMC answered back with six of the next eight points with less than three minutes left in regulation. Steven Echols (Martinsville, VA/Carlisle) put the Hornets on his shoulders and responded with two straight layups. Short committed an offensive foul with 24 seconds to go, giving Lynchburg a chance to tie or take the lead on the final possession of the game, but an Echols offensive foul gave the ball back to Randolph-Macon with just eight seconds remaining on the clock. LC was forced to foul Danny Jones who converted two free throws to give the Yellow Jackets a four-point lead to seal the victory.
Echols finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds, and four steals in 31 minutes. He was just 2-7 from the field with five points in the first-half, but took over the game in the second stanza with 6 of 12 shooting and 13 points. Mason Wooldridge (New Canton, VA/Fork Union) scored nine points in just 17 minutes due to foul trouble. Eric Burnett (Martinsville, VA/Carlisle) and Brad Kenney (Advance, NC/Bishop McGuinness) provided valuable energy and contributions off the bench, with Burnett tallying nine points, three boards, and two steals, and Kenney contributed six points and seven caroms.
Brandon Braxton and Short each scored 13 points for Randolph-Macon (16-5/10-2 ODAC), Jordan Brown had eight points and six boards, and Boris Varela added eight points and five caroms. RMC was 23-44 (52.3%) from the field and LC was 25-59 (42.4%) for the game as each team shot 50% or better in the second-half. The Yellow Jackets converted seven of 19 three point tries while the Hornets made three of their 16 attempts. LC kept their selves in the game by tying a season-high with 25 forced turnovers along with 14 steals while only committing 14 giveaways. Lynchburg also held decisive advantages in points in the paint (32-22) and points off turnovers (26-9).
Lynchburg (3-18/1-11 ODAC) returns to the court on Wednesday in Lexington, VA, as they play the Washington & Lee University Generals at 7 p.m.
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