Northern Neck Times

Randolph-MacOn College Athletics issued the following announcement on Dec. 31

Junior Miles Mallory (Beltsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti), the tourney MVP, had his fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the second-ranked Randolph-Macon men's basketball team to a 68-54 win over Averett on Friday afternoon in the finale of the R-MC Coaches Tournament sponsored by Fink's Jewelers.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 68, Averett 54

Venue: Crenshaw Gym

Records: R-MC 10-1, AU 2-8

How it Happened:

• Layups by sophomore Daniel Mbangue (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax) and senior David Funderburg (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) preceded a three-pointer by sophomore Will Coble (Charlotte, N.C./Davidson Day) as the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 7-2 lead four minutes into the contest. The Cougars scored five straight to tie the game before a layup by sophomore Lance Johnson (South Riding, Va./Freedom) stopped the streak and gave R-MC a 9-7 edge with 12:45 left in the first half. AU trailed 11-10 before a layup by junior Noah Lindsey (Moseley, Va./Benedictine) and two layups by Mallory gave the Yellow Jackets a 17-10 advantage with nine minutes remaining. The Cougars hit a pair of treys to pull back within one before two free throws by Mallory and a bucket by Mbangue put R-MC up 21-16 with 5:45 left. AU scored eight straight points to go up three before triples by freshman Can Dalli (Turkey/Perkiomen School), Mallory and Coble gave the Yellow Jackets a 30-24 advantage with 1:20 remaining. The Cougars got the next three points before another three-pointer by Dalli gave the home team a 33-27 halftime lead.
• A jumper by Mallory gave R-MC a 37-30 edge two minutes into the second half. A jumper by Mallory and a follow by Lindsey gave the Yellow Jackets their first double-digit lead at 45-35 with 13:10 remaining. AU cut the deficit to five at 45-40 with just under 12 minutes left before the R-MC defense held the Cougars scoreless over the next seven minutes. Junior Josh Talbert (Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam) had two layups in an 8-0 run as the Yellow Jackets went up 53-40. After four points by AU, Mallory had two buckets and two free throws to go along with a Talbert dunk in making up another 8-0 spurt as R-MC took a 61-44 lead with 2:39 left on its way to a 68-54 victory.

By The Numbers:

• The Yellow Jackets had two players score in double figures. Along with 21 by Mallory, Mbangue finished with a career-high 11 points.
• The R-MC defense held AU to its lowest point total of the season. The Yellow Jackets have held each of their past four opponents to 57 points or less.
• R-MC had a 40-31 edge on the glass. Mallory led all players with 10. Johnson had a career-best five rebounds.
• Talbert matched his career high with seven assists for the second straight game.

For The Record:

• The Yellow Jackets extended their home winning streak to 37 games, the longest current streak in Division III.
• R-MC is 7-3 all-time against Averett and snapped a two-game losing streak to the Cougars.
• The Yellow Jackets have used seven different starting lineups in their first 11 games.
• Mallory had five blocks to give him 126 for his career, the fourth-highest total n program history.
• Coble had career highs with 34 minutes, nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
• Lindsey had career bests with 10 minutes, four points and two rebounds, He also drew four charges.
• Dalli had season highs with seven points, six minutes, one assist and one steal.
• Sophomore Jaden Keasey (Newport News, Va./Menchville) hit a pair of free throws for his first collegiate points.
• The All-Tournament Team consisted of Bryson McLaughlin of Averett, Carl Schaller and Ryan McKeon of Gettysburg, and Talbert of Randolph-Macon. Mallory was the tourney's Most Valuable Player.

Next Up:

• R-MC was scheduled to play next at Hampden-Sydney on Wednesday, Jan. 5, but that game has been postponed. The Yellow Jackets will host Guilford on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. in an ODAC contest.

Original source can be found here.