College Men’s Basketball Final – Randolph 72, Guilford 70

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Colton Hunt’s jumper with 1.1 seconds left in regulation gave host Randolph College a 72-70 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men’s basketball win over visiting Guilford College Wednesday.

Hunt finished with a game-high 29 points, none bigger than those scored on his final shots. The senior guard scored with 1:20 remaining to tie the game for the 10th and final time. Guilford (16-6, 8-5 ODAC) had three shots before Randolph’s Chris Battaglia collected his 11th defensive rebound with 14 seconds left. After two time-outs, the Wildcats (18-4, 9-4 ODAC) inbounded to Hunt who got a screen and drained the game-winning shot from the top of the key with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.

The dramatic finish capped an exciting game that featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes. Hunt had 15 first-half points, which staked the WildCats to a 38-29 halftime lead. The nine-point margin carried into the second period before a 9-0 Guilford run tied the score at 40-40 with just under 14 minutes to play. The game was a one-possession contest the rest of the way.

Hunt, the ODAC scoring leader, made 10-of-16 shots from the floor, including three three-pointers. He also added seven rebounds, a game-best eight assists and a steal. Battaglia notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. The WildCats shot over 65 percent from the floor in the first half and 41.7 percent for the game. Randolph connected on 11-of-23 three-pointers.

Guilford senior Josh Pittman (Archdale, N.C./Trinity) scored 20 of his team-high 26 points in the second half and also contributed four rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Matt McCarthy chipped in 13 points and rookie Zeb Richardson (West Jefferson, N.C./Ashe County) added 12, 10 in the second half. Junior Jake Hopkins (Kernersville, N.C./East Forsyth) posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Guilford won the battle of the boards, 35-25, and outscored the hosts, 10-0 in second-chance points.

The Quakers return home Saturday (2/9) to host Virginia Wesleyan College at 3:00 p.m. on Guilford’s Annual Alumni Day. The Marlins downed the Quakers, 63-49, in the season’s first meeting Dec. 8.

Guilford vs Randolph
02/06/13 7:00 p.m. at Lynchburg, VA – RAD Center
At Lynchburg, VA – RAD Center


RANDOLPH – 72
GUILFORD – 70

GUILFORD (16-6, 8-5 ODAC): PITTMAN, Josh 8-18 7-7 26; McCARTHY, Matt 3-5 4-4 13; RICHARDSON, Zeb 4-9 4-5 12; HOPKINS, Jake 4-12 2-2 10; TRACY, Travis 2-4 0-0 5; FREEMAN, Will 2-4 0-1 4; HINTON, Jarred 0-5 0-0 0; COMBS, Drew 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-58 17-19 70.

RANDOLPH (18-4, 9-4 ODAC): HUNT, Colton 10-16 6-8 29; BATTAGLIA, Chris 5-10 4-4 15; BROWN, Corey 2-7 1-2 7; HORN, Evan 2-2 0-0 6; EHILEGBU, Mike 2-5 0-0 6; WALTON, Zach 2-2 0-0 5; LANGLEY, DJ 2-3 0-1 4; SMITH, Lucas 0-0 0-0 0; EDDIE, Jason 0-2 0-0 0; HOLLE, Mason 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-47 11-15 72.

   Guilford......................   29   41  -   70
   Randolph......................   38   34  -   72

3-point goals–Guilford 7-17 (McCARTHY, Matt 3-5; PITTMAN, Josh 3-8; TRACY, Travis 1-1; HINTON, Jarred 0-3), Randolph 11-23 (HUNT, Colton 3-6; HORN, Evan 2-2; EHILEGBU, Mike 2-4; BROWN, Corey 2-5; WALTON, Zach 1-1; BATTAGLIA, Chris 1-3; EDDIE, Jason 0-1; LANGLEY, DJ 0-1).
Fouled out–Guilford-None, Randolph-None.
Rebounds–Guilford 35 (HOPKINS, Jake 11), Randolph 25 (BATTAGLIA, Chris 11).
Assists–Guilford 12 (HINTON, Jarred 4; PITTMAN, Josh 4), Randolph 17 (HUNT, Colton 8).
Total fouls–Guilford 18, Randolph 16.
Technical fouls–Guilford-None, Randolph-TEAM.
Attendance–288

Old Dominion Athletic Conference game