Fresh off picking up its first No. 1 ranking since the 2002-03 season, Randolph-Macon completed its nonconference schedule Saturday evening, defeating Christopher Newport 80-68. It was a game in which the Yellow Jackets led by double digits early but could never fully put their visitors away. Though the Captains came into Crenshaw Gym with a losing record, they gave the Yellow Jackets all they could handle for much of the evening.

  Despite CNU’s record, R-MC’s Brandon Braxton expected the game to be tight. “Being the No. 1 team, we know that we have a bullseye on our back so we have to either be the underdog going in or think that any team can beat us,” he said. “We just try to go out and keep the intensity up for 40 minutes.”

  The intensity was there throughout for both teams in a game that was often played at a frantic pace.

  Junior guard Jordan Brown (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks) got the Jackets going early by scoring nine of their first 10 points.  And though R-MC (13-0) raced to a quick 6-0 lead, CNU (5-7) trimmed the margin to 10-9 on a three from Theo Baker at the 13:26 mark of the first.

  But then the Jackets began blistering the nets from long range through crisp passing and finding the open shooter.

  Junior Danny Jones started a string of four consecutive threes off an assist from Brown then Adam Desgain’s stole the show.

  Over a 54 second period, the sophomore from J.R. Tucker drilled back-to-back-to-back threes to break the game open, for a 22-12 R-MC lead. 

  “I think we got good shots,” R-MC head coach Nathan Davis said of his team’s 47.7 percent shooting from deep. “I thought a lot of it was because we were unselfish, we were getting open looks and we have guys that can make shots when they’re open.”

  Center Brandon Braxton (10 points) widened the margin further by following a thunderous dunk with a 10-foot jumper and it appeared that the Jackets were going to run away with the contest when they pulled out to a 26-12 lead.

  But CNU refused to fold, making the most of three steals and eight first half turnovers by R-MC to trim the margin to 10 by the break.

  For Jackets’ junior guard Eric Pugh (11 points, 3 steals, 3 assists), the Captains’ pressure did not come as a surprise. “They’re an athletic team so that’s what we expected,” he said. “We expected them to hound the ball and be aggressive. We just tried to keep our composure and work our offense.”

  Strong offensive board work also allowed the Captains to start the second half on an 8-4 run, trimming the R-MC lead to seven, 42-35 with 16:34 to play.
  Though the Jackets out-rebounded CNU 38-35 in the game, the Captains picked up 15 offensive boards to set up multiple shot attempts.

  “I thought the main thing that really bothered us was our rebounding,” Davis said. “We couldn’t really ever fully extend (the lead) and get it going because we kept giving them second and third opportunities to score.”

  Davis attributed the lack of rebounding to his team’s desire to run on offense. “I think some of that was our guys were in such a rush to want to get out and run,” he said. “We were leaving early and not blocking out.”

  Turnovers also provided opportunity for the Captains. While both teams committed more than 15 turnovers, CNU turned theirs into 16 points while R-MC only converted seven. However, the Jackets evened the mark by picking up 17 assists in the game.

  But Davis could accept the turnovers as long as his team kept pressing the action. “I think some of those, guys were just trying to make plays,” he said.

  With the lead in single digits, R-MC’s Brown got things rolling once again with a baseline reverse, starting an 8-0 R-MC run for the Jackets.

  CNU worked its way back within eight with 10:10 to play but the sophomore Calvin Croskey’s (12 points) stepped to the forefront for R-MC, scoring six of their next 11 points for a 68-55 lead which extended to 80-60 with two minutes to play.

  Senior Mark Blasingame led CNU with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and no turnovers in 28 minutes of play.

R-MC returns to action on Wed. January 13 when they travel to No. 24 Eastern Mennonite. The Royals will be fourth ranked team that the Yellow Jackets will have played so far this season.