The loss dropped Randolph-Macon to 21-3 overall. The Yellow Jackets are still ranked #2 in the nation in the D3hoops.com website poll, which is released on Tuesdays. That ranking will most likely change following Saturday’s three-point loss at ninth-ranked Hampden-Sydney. Virginia Union, meanwhile, improved to 20-4 on the season. The Panthers are the sixth-ranked team in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic region.
Randolph-Macon jumped out to a strong start, leading for the first 10 minutes of the contest. The biggest advantage for the Yellow Jackets was seven points, 13-6, five minutes into the game. The last time Randolph-Macon would lead was at the 9:46 mark of the opening period, 20-17. There were four ties after that, and Virginia Union went ahead for good, 29-26, on a three-pointer by Smith with 4:14 left in the first. The Panthers would go on to lead by seven points twice at the end of the half, and the halftime margin was five points, 40-35.
The Yellow Jackets made a comeback attempt early in the second, scoring five of the first seven points to reduce the deficit to 42-40. But that was as close as Randolph-Macon would get. A five-minute, 11-2 run by the Panthers extended the lead to 11 points, 53-42, with 11:03 on the clock. The margin was double digits for the final 9:11, and Virginia Union would lead by as many as 18 points, 73-55, late in the contest.
For the Panthers, following the performances by Jaaber, Hargrove, Smith, and Brown, junior center John Rabb (Cleveland, OH) contributed with seven points and a team-high eight rebounds in valuable minutes off the bench. Junior forward Antwan Walton (Emporia, VA/Greensville) added six points and seven rebounds.
Randolph-Macon was led by sophomore forward Justin Wansley (Richmond, VA/Henrico), with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Senior forward Kurt Bergmann (Fallsington, PA/Pennsbury) had 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Senior guard Ryan Stein (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) scored 10 points and handed out four assists. Senior forward Jim Silcox (Newton, NC/Newton-Conover) had eight points. Freshman guard Adam Krovic (Durham, NC/Jordan) added seven points and five rebounds.