The victory improved the Yellow Jackets to 15-1 overall and 9-1 in the ODAC. Randolph-Macon is currently ranked #4 in the nation in NCAA Division III according to the D3hoops.com website poll. The Maroons fell to 8-8 on the season and 2-7 in the conference.
Randolph-Macon was ahead for the entire first half. The biggest lead for the Yellow Jackets was 16 points, 28-12 midway through the period. The halftime advantage was 10 points, 40-30.
Things got interesting in the second half. The Maroons trailed by 11 points, 43-32, very early in the half. From there, Roanoke put together a 16-4 run to go ahead for the first time in the game, 48-47. There were eight ties and three lead changes after that.
With 6:24 remaining, Randolph-Macon was up by just one point, 64-63, following two foul shots by Roanoke sophomore guard Jared Butler (Springfield, VA/West Springfield). But the Maroons would only score five more points the rest of the contest. The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, scored their last 14 points at the free throw line. Six of those foul shots were by Moyer, while Poropatich and Wansley each made four.
For Randolph-Macon, following the performances by Wansley, Bergmann, Stein, Poropatich, and Moyer, senior forward Jim Silcox (Newton, NC/Newton-Conover) added eight points, making all four of his attempts at the charity stripe. It was his first action since an injury in Randolph-Macon’s Rees Jewelers Christmas Classic championship game on December 30 sidelined him for seven games. Silcox performed very well against nationally-ranked John Carroll University in that contest, with a season-high 13 points. His presence inside will be important for the Yellow Jackets down the stretch this season.
Roanoke was led by senior forward Jason Graffam (Vienna, VA/Marshall), with 16 points and seven rebounds. Butler finished with 14 points and three assists. Senior center Kevinn Hunter (Dale City, VA/Gar-Field) and senior forward Drew Crowder (Radford, VA/Radford) each had 10 points and four rebounds. Sophomore forward NyJuan Hall (Alexandria, VA/Edison) added seven points and four rebounds.