The win improved the Royals to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ODAC. The Yellow Jackets fell to 3-4 on the season and 3-1 in the conference. It was the first win for Eastern Mennonite over Randolph-Macon since a 84-82 triumph in the 1999-2000 season.
Randolph-Macon led for most of the first half. The only lead for the Royals was 12-11 with 12:03 left in the period. The biggest advantage for the Yellow Jackets was 18 points, 31-13, at the 6:39 mark. Eastern Mennonite chipped away, however, outscoring the visitors 19-4 to reduce the deficit to three points, 35-32, with :47 remaining before halftime. Randolph-Macon led by five points at the break, 38-33.
The Yellow Jackets did not actually trail for most of the second half, but there were several ties. With 2:46 remaining in regulation, Eastern Mennonite sophomore guard JoMorrae Gordon made two foul shots to finally put his team ahead, 70-68. But a jumpshot by Randolph-Macon junior forward Justin Wansley with 1:44 left tied the score at 70-70, which was the score at the end of regulation.
Randolph-Macon led for most of the first overtime. With the Yellow Jackets up 76-75, Eastern Mennonite’s Sager made a layup off an assist by Gordon to put the hosts up 77-76 with 1:04 remaining. A three-pointer by Randolph-Macon sophomore guard Stephen Sutherland gave his team a 79-77 advantage with :38 left. But Lentz made a jumpshot with :25 remaining to tie the score at 79-79, and the game would head into a second overtime.
There were two more ties in that period. A jumpshot by Randolph-Macon freshman forward Jeremy Dixon, assisted by senior guard Justin Moyer, made the score 83-83 with 2:35 on the clock. Then, with 2:26 left, Eastern Mennonite took a 85-83 lead on two foul shots by sophomore guard Chris Ropp. Wansley made one free throw with 1:46 remaining to make it 85-84, and that was the end of the scoring.
Following the performances by Whiting, Lentz, and Sager, Eastern Mennonite’s Gordon finished with five points and five assists. He made 5-of-8 (62.5%) foul shots.
For Randolph-Macon, Wansley finished with a career and game-high 33 points, plus a game-high 12 rebounds. Eight of his rebounds were defensive. Moyer totaled 11 points, a team-high four assists, and a career-high seven rebounds. Sutherland scored nine points in 25 minutes off the bench, making 3-of-4 (75.0%) three-point attempts. Junior guard Patrick Gill and sophomore guard Adam Krovic each scored seven points. Krovic also had three assists and a team-high two steals, while Gill grabbed four rebounds. Dixon finished with career-highs of six points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of reserve time. He made 3-of-4 (75.0%) field goals, and five of his rebounds were defensive.