BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's basketball team improved to 5-3 Saturday after winning its third consecutive contest in Knight Arena, defeating Randolph College in a nail-biter, 92-87.
"That was a really good game for us as a team against a tough Randolph squad," exclaimed head coach
Adam Wardenburg. "They played hard and kept attacking us all game, but we stayed connected and played together for 40 minutes. We are still learning as a team, but this was a great win for us. When we stay connected for 40 minutes, we are a very good team!"
The Knights came out hot, scoring the game's first eight points and holding the WildCats scoreless for over three minutes to start the game. Coach Pete Hamilton then swapped his entire lineup, putting in his usual starters. Back-to-back three-pointers from Jerry Goodman and Jordan Phillips-McLoyd would get the 'Cats right back in the game.
Southern Virginia held the lead for the entire first half, but were never able to stretch its lead to double-digits. The largest Knights' lead, nine points, occurred with 2:46 remaining in the first stanza but the Wildcats quickly cut it to just three. Just before the half,
Abe Connolly hit a shot from behind the arc after a well-drawn up play from the Knights' coaching staff.
Although his minutes were limited due to two early fouls,
Malakai Olson scored nine points while not missing a shot from the field. "Foul trouble didn't really affect me much, it honestly just motivated me to get them into foul trouble and attack them," stated Olson. "Honestly it was a lot of confidence and just the joy of playing a game I've always loved and everything just came naturally."
After three consecutive buckets in the paint from Randolph to start the second half, the game was all square. Just over four minutes into the second 20 minutes, Olson would pick up his third foul, sending him to the bench. The ensuing free throws were knocked down by Jerry Goodman to give the Wildcats their first lead of the afternoon which would be pushed to six just a minute later after Jordan Phillips-McLoyd was fouled while draining a three-pointer.
Three consecutive layups by Southern Virginia would tie the game at 56 and ignite the home crowd in Knight Arena. "When the fans fill up the barn it is honestly amazing," continued Olson. "It gets loud and makes everyone on our team want to play for everyone who took the time to come and cheer for us." "The crowd always brings another level of energy that we can't bring," added
Abe Connolly. "It truly helps a lot!"
A Connolly layup with 10:22 remaining on the clock would again give the Knights the lead and they would never look back.
The final minutes of the game were prolonged by fouls by Randolph, forcing Southern Virginia to make free throws. The Knights would knock down 17 out of 25 attempts in the second half and 25 of 34 overall, including two from
Canyon Carlson, his first points of the season.
Carlson was one of 10 players who entered the contest for the Knights, all of whom scored, a feat accomplished for the first time this season. "We had players step up in a big way today," said coach Wardenburg. "We got into some early foul trouble and Tyler, Alex, Bryan and Dane came in off the bench and had a huge impact."
"Offensively, we attacked all game long," continued Wardenburg. "We knew that we could get out and run in transition and we knew we could get a lot of shots at the rim, and I felt like we did that very consistently throughout the game. We also made more free throws then they attempted, which is a huge sign of how tough we were."
That toughness translated to the defensive side of the ball as well.
Jamarcus Robertson, who had his best all-around performance as a Knight, was forced to guard multiple solid scorers for the 'Cats. "The coaches always told me defense would be my number one priority against any team, so I take pride in that and doing whatever it takes for my team to win," declared Robertson after the game.
Robertson, along with playing tremendous defense, had season-highs in points with 12, rebounds with nine – a game-high – and assists with seven. "Bringing energy on defense always gets me going on both sides of the ball," continued the Tampa, Florida native. "I believe the difference was me getting my groove back and just making progress almost being back 100% healthy."
"Defensively, we forced them into some very tough shots that they kept making," added Wardenburg. "They are a big team, and we knew team rebounding would be key, and we held them to 5 offensive rebounds."
Southern Virginia, after winning three-straight at home, will now travel to Harrisonburg to take on Eastern Mennonite next Saturday, Dec. 17.
"It feels good going 3-0 in our last couple games," proclaimed Robertson. "I feel as if the team is coming together and playing connect which is what we preach."
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's basketball, please visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_hoops on Instagram.
