Yellow Jackets to #2 Nationally

With a 72-50 win Saturday over Washington and Lee, Randolph-Macon moved to 22-1 on the season. Thanks to the results of two other Saturday affairs, the Yellow Jackets are in prime position both in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and nationally.

Emory and Henry's stunning defeat of Virginia Wesleyan in double overtime gave Randolph-Macon, 14-0 in ODAC, their fourth consecutive regular season championship. #4 St. Thomas knocked off #2 St. John's in Minnesota on Saturday, paving the way for the Yellow Jackets to move up from #3 to #2 in the latest D3Hoops.com Top 25 released Monday afternoon.

Randolph-Macon earned two first place votes behind #1 Swarthmore, who has held the top spot the entire season and is the lone unbeaten left in Division III. The Yellow Jackets host Hampden-Sydney at Crenshaw Gymnasium on Wednesday night at 7pm.

In The Red Zone: Eric Kolenich and Charles Gray

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GUESTS:

Charles Gray, Director of Tennis, Randolph-Macon College

Eric Kolenich, Richmond Times-Dispatch

In The Red Zone: Ray Hedrick

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We're previewing the 2020 Randolph-Macon baseball season, which begins Friday, with head coach Ray Hedrick!

ODAC Men's Basketball: Yellow Jackets Move Past Marlins

A 23-point night from point guard Buzz Anthony wasn't enough. But coupled with a 20-point effort, a career high, for Terry Woods (pictured), and a double-double from freshman Miles Mallory, #3 Randolph-Macon survived a key Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) road test at #18 Virginia Wesleyan 67-61 Wednesday night.

Mallory scored eleven points and grabbed fourteen rebounds as Randolph-Macon improved to 8-0 in ODAC play, 16-1 overall, while the Marlins, led by Daniel Spencer's 19 points, fell to 6-2, 14-3.

The Yellow Jackets hit the road again on Saturday, this time to Roanoke to battle the Maroons (5-3, 11-6) at 4:30pm. Randolph-Macon's next three games after Saturday, home to Shenandoah, home to Emory and Henry, at Bridgewater, are all against teams currently under .500 in conference play.

Lynchburg now stands all along in second place at 7-1 after a 78-52 win over Ferrum Wednesday night. The Hornets host Washington & Lee, 5-3 in conference play, on Saturday afternoon. (File Photo)

Randolph-Macon Men's Basketball Up To #3 Nationally

The new d3hoops.com National Division III Top 25 rankings were released Monday night, and the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets made a big jump. After falling last week from #4 to #6 after their first loss of the season at Mary Washington on January 8th, Randolph-Macon, with a pair of big Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) victories last week, including a 64-39 triumph over defending ODAC Tournament champion Guilford, move up three slots to #3 in the latest poll.

This is the highest ranking for the program since their last visit to the #1 spot in the rankings, which took place at the conclusion of the 2015 regular season during the Yellow Jackets' 25-game winning streak that carried them all the way to the Round of Eight in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.

The Yellow Jackets face a stiff test Wednesday, traveling to #18 Virginia Wesleyan, who stand at 6-1 in conference play, 14-2 overall, jumping five spots from last week's poll where they were at #23. The game is set to tip off at 7pm.

See the latest poll by CLICKING HERE.

GAME OF THE WEEK DOUBLEHEADER: Patrick Henry at Hanover

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UPDATED: #4 Randolph-Macon Goes Cold, Falls At Mary Washington

Once leading 50-40 with 13:34 left, #4 Randolph-Macon watched as Mary Washington hit three straight three-pointers, changing the complexion of the game with pressure defense in the backcourt, then went cold from the field late as the Yellow Jackets lost their first game of the 2019-2020 season Wednesday night, the Eagles victorious 70-65 at Ron Rosner Arena at the Anderson Center in Fredericksburg.

Randolph-Macon (4-0 ODAC, 12-1 overall) held the lead for most of the first half, taking a 38-32 lead into intermission. It took the Yellow Jackets nearly three minutes to score their first points of the second half, as senior guard Korey Turner came off the bench for a critical five point stretch to help the Yellow Jackets build the aforementioned ten-point advantage.

But after the barrage of three-pointers made by the Eagles, Mary Washington employed a trap pressure backcourt defense which helped to both shake the offensive rhythm of Randolph-Macon, and create transition opportunities for a team who is much better than their 10-5 overall record indicates.

Leading 56-53 with 7:08 remaining, the Eagles went on a 7-0 run to take the lead, holding on to it for nearly five minutes before two Buzz Anthony free throws tied the game at 65 apiece. But those would be the final Yellow Jacket points as two three-point shots in the final minute did not fall, and freshman Josh Talbert missed a pair of free throws in a double bonus situation.

In the loss, Anthony registered his second triple-double in the last four games, and only the third in program history, leading with 16 points, grabbing eleven rebounds and dishing out ten assists. Corey Bays scored all 15 of his points from beyond the arc while freshman Miles Mallory scored 13 points and added seven rebounds.

Randolph-Macon returns to Crenshaw Gymnasium on Saturday to face Ferrum, as their non-conference schedule came to an end tonight. Tip time will be at 2pm in Ashland.

"One loss doesn't change this group. We need to be ready to go on Saturday. We win or lose as a team, and we won't let a loss beat us twice," head coach Josh Merkel said on the postgame online radio show after the contest.

In women's action Wednesday night, Randolph-Macon fell at Bridgewater 69-61 despite double-doubles from both Charlotte Woods and Kelly Williams. Both had 16 points while Woods had 16 rebounds and Williams 10. Michal Ross led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 19 points, and return to Crenshaw Saturday to face Guilford at 4:30pm.