Game Box Score

SALEM, VA (February 19, 2006)—Hampden-Sydney’s run to a record-tying tenth Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship was stopped short in overtime Sunday night as Randolph-Macon escaped with a 92-83 victory in the 2006 ODAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Semifinals.  The loss effectively ends the 2006 season for the Tigers, who finish the year with an 18-8 overall record, while Randolph-Macon (22-5) moves into the title game where it will face Virginia Wesleyan (24-3) Monday at 7 pm. 

Hampden-Sydney trailed by as many as ten points in the first half (34-24) and led by as many as ten in the second half (69-59), but the game was ultimately decided in the extra period, when the Tigers held the lead, 83-81, before R-MC’s Adam Krovic scored five straight points to put Macon in control for good. 

The Tigers weathered another hot shooting performance by the Yellow Jackets for much of the first half as R-MC built the ten point advantage, thanks to 12 early points from Krovic and another nine by All-American forward Justin Wansley.  The Tigers rallied behind three point shooting from sophomore guard Drew Prehmus (Atlanta, GA/Wesleyan) who nailed two trifectas, while senior guard Matt Guill (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) scored three points of his five first half points late in the half to help cut the Yellow Jacket lead to three, 40-37, at the half. 

Hampden-Sydney opened the second half with a driving layup by Mike Edwards (Richmond, VA/Steward School), for the first of his 13 second half points, to pull within one before Matt Green (Richmond, VA/Thomas Dale) nailed his third three pointer of the game to give the Tigers their first second half lead of the season against R-MC, 42-40.  The Tigers then built their lead to ten points (69-59) thanks in part to three’s by Edwards, Prehmus and Green and three high percentage buckets by Kaase. 

Trailing by ten points with seven minutes to play, Randolph-Macon went on a 16-5 run over the next four-plus minutes as junior forward Phil Hawley scored six points, while Patrick Gill added seven to give the Yellow Jackets a 75-74 lead with 2:02 to play.   Aaron Lewek (Raleigh, NC/Leesville Road) tied the game for the Tigers with a free throw at the 1:23 mark, while Kaase gave the Tigers the lead, 77-75, with a tip-in off a missed free throw with 1:18 to play.  With time expiring in regulation, Wansley hit a 15 foot baseline jumper to tie the game and send it into overtime. 

In the extra period, a layup and three pointer by Matt Green helped push the Tigers into the lead, 83-81, but Phil Hawley tied the game for the Yellow Jackets with a pair of free throws and then gave them the lead on a layup with 1:22 to play.  The Tigers were unable to convert on the offensive end on back-to-back trips down the floor before Adam Krovic nailed a three with 37 seconds to play to give the Jackets an 88-83 lead.  Krovic then connected on a pair of free throws, while freshman David Carlson added two of his own to put the game on ice for the Yellow Jackets, who picked up their sixth straight win over the Tigers. 

Hampden-Sydney had five players score in double figures, led by Matt Green with 19 points while Kaase added 17, Prehmus 15, Edwards 13 and Matt Guill ten.  Green and Prehmus each made five three pointers as the Tigers landed 11-of-21 (52.4%) from beyond the arc, while making 29-of-63 (46%) from the floor and 14-of-21 (67%) from the foul line.  The Tigers also out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets, 42-38, but had ten more turnovers, 17-7. 

Hawley led the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 21 points, while Wansley added 20, Krovic 18 and Gill 15.  Randolph-Macon shot 47.1 percent (32-of-68) from the floor, canned 41 percent (9-of-22) from beyond the arc and sank 70.4 percent (19-of-27) from the free throw line in the contest.