Junior guard Mike Edwards (Richmond, VA/Steward School) and Troy Kaase (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring) each scored 18 points to lead the Tigers to their third straight quarterfinal victory over Roanoke (14-12). Meanwhile, junior guard Matt Green (Richmond, VA/Thomas Dale) added ten points, while sophomore guard Drew Prehmus (Atlanta, GA/Wesleyan) pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds as the Tigers won the battle of the boards, 51-49.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball as the Tigers made just 16-of-52 (30.8%) from the floor and connected on only 7-of-23 (30.4%) from beyond the arc, but bettered a Roanoke team that made 20-of-69 (29%) from the floor including 1-of-14 (7.1%) from outside the arc. Josh LaPorte paced the Maroons with ten points and 12 rebounds, while senior guard Jared Butler finished with ten points in his final collegiate contest.
Roanoke opened the game on a 9-1 run over the first six-plus minutes, while six of the Tigers first ten points came from the foul line, keeping them in the game early after a 2-for-17 start from the floor. Meanwhile, Matt Green hit both of his three’s in the game on consecutive trips down the floor, while Troy Kaase connected for two of his 18 points with 34 seconds left in the first half as the Tigers drew to within one point of the Maroons, 29-28, at the break.
The Tigers opened the second half on a 9-2 run, thanks to back-to-back three’s to start the half by Mike Edwards, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game, 31-29. With 14:07 to play in the game, the Tigers lead had swelled to ten points thanks to a jumper by Kaase to make the score, 46-36.
Roanoke battled back over the next eight minutes, closing to within one point after Kaase had to leave the game with his fourth foul. Josh LaPorte led the Maroon rally with nine of his team-high ten points over a three-plus minute stretch that culminated in a 51-50 score with 6:50 to play.
However, the Maroons could draw no closer as the Tigers sank 9-of-10 at the free throw line over the final 3:16 of the game to put the contest in the books in favor of Hampden-Sydney, 68-58.
Hampden-Sydney seeks to snap a five game losing streak to Randolph-Macon Sunday as the two teams battle in a rematch of last year’s ODAC semifinal matchup which the Yellow Jackets won, 68-64. The game will be broadcast live on FM 95.7 WFLO and on the internet at www.hsc.edu/athletics.