SALEM, VA--Another lackluster performance proved costly for the Roanoke College men's basketball team on Monday night, as the Maroons lost to the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets, 63-54. The loss was the second consecutive for the Maroons, who fall to 4-3 on the year and 1-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Yellow Jackets return to Ashland, VA with a 3-3 overall mark, 2-1 in conference action.
The Randolph-Macon defense had the Maroons on edge for the entire 40 minutes. Roanoke committed 30 turnovers and shot just 34.7 percent from the field in the contest. The Yellow Jackets recorded 17 steals in the contest, led by six from freshman Ryan Stein (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence). A total of eight Yellow Jackets posted at least one steal in the win.
Despite their poor play, the Maroons took a 34-25 lead into the intermission. The Maroons shot 38.5 percent from the field in the first half, but held the Yellow Jackets to 28.6 percent. After two free throws by Alex Phillips (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring) gave the Maroons an 11-point lead with just seconds left, RMC's Stein stole an inbound pass on the other end of the floor and converted an easy layup to trim the halftime lead to nine.
Jason Strickland's (Charlottesville, VA/Covenant) jumper early in the second gave RC a 10-point lead, but its was all Randolph-Macon from their on out. The Yellow Jackets quickly went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to one, and then took the lead for good with 9:20 remaining on a Stein free throw. After Strickland's jumper, the Maroons were outscored by Randolph-Macon, 25-7, over an 11-minute span.
Stein finished the contest as the leading scorer, posting 16 points. He also had six rebounds to go along with the six steals. Jared Mills (Reading, PA/Reading Central Catholic) was the only other Yellow Jacket in double-figures in the scoring column, dropping in 12.
Colby Leftwich (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) scored 12 points to pace the Maroons, while Robby Pridgen (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) had 11, but was just 2-for-12 from the field. Leftwich added nine rebounds for RC, which won the rebounding battle, 46-33.
The Maroons, who were without starting point guard Brad Dunleavy, suffer back-to-back home losses for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Roanoke is now off until January 2, 2001 when it hosts Babson College in the first round of the V-Foundation Classic.
