Closing out the regular season with three straight wins, the Yellow Jackets improved to 20-5 on the season and 15-3 in the ODAC. Randolph-Macon is currently ranked #6 in the NCAA Division III South Region coaches poll. The Eagles dropped to 9-15 overall and 6-12 in the conference. The two teams will play each other again this coming Saturday, February 18th at 6:00 p.m. in the ODAC tournament quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. The semifinals are Sunday afternoon, with the championship game scheduled for Monday evening.
The first half was tight, with five lead changes and two ties. The biggest lead was seven points, as Randolph-Macon was ahead 12-5 midway through the period. A 10-2 run by the Eagles put them up 15-14. The rest of the opening period included three more lead changes and another tie, at 19-19. The Yellow Jackets led 22-21 at the break.
Randolph-Macon came out on fire in the second half, outscoring Bridgewater 14-6 to take a nine-point lead, 36-27. But the Eagles were not done. They put together a four-minute, 12-3 surge to tie the score at 39-39 with 12:45 left in the game. That was as close as Bridgewater would get, however. The Yellow Jackets regained the momentum with a 17-5 run that put them ahead by 12 points, 56-44, at the 7:09 mark. The advantage was double digits for the rest of the game, and the biggest lead down the stretch was 17 points, 67-50, with a little less than three minutes remaining.
Following the performances by Sutherland and Wansley, Randolph-Macon junior forward Phil Hawley (Weirton, WV/Tri-State Christian Academy) scored 11 points. Junior guard Adam Krovic (Durham, NC/Jordan) added nine points and six rebounds. Senior guard Patrick Gill (Richmond, VA/Benedictine) scored seven points off the bench.
Bridgewater was led by senior forward Clay Michael (Inwood, WV/Musselman), with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. He made all three of his three-point field goal attempts. Sophomore forward Josh Fox (Staunton, VA/Riverheads) and sophomore guard Andrew Cathlin (Virginia Beach, VA/Shenandoah Valley Academy) each scored nine points. Fox, who made 2-of-3 three-pointers, also grabbed seven rebounds. Senior forward Zach Butler (Richmond, VA/Douglas Freeman) added seven points off the bench.