Randolph-Macon forward Andre Simon normally shoots less than 60 percent from the foul line. Unfortunately for Old Dominion Athletic Conference rival Hampden-Sydney, the Tigers caught Simon while he was hot.

  Simon converted 12-of-14 free throws en route to a game-high 18 points that led Randolph-Macon to an 86-80 victory over visiting Hampden-Sydney at Crenshaw Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

  The victory was the ninth straight for the Yellow Jackets (15-3, 8-2 ODAC) and moved them just above the Tigers (13-4, 7-2) into second place in the ODAC standings to trail #2 ranked Virginia Wesleyan (13-2, 6-1) by a half game.

  The significance of the contest – against a big rival who is also battling for the top spot in the conference standings – inspired Simon to pick up his game on the line.

  “I was just extra focused on the big game,” Simon said. “We needed all of them – got to make them all.”

  Simon’s above average shooting paid off in the final minutes. After a close-fought first half, Randolph Macon built an 11-point lead, 51-40, with 14:54 left in the game. Hampden-Sydney’s Ru White – a former star at L.C. Bird – nailed two free throws to tie the game at 69-69 with 4:30 remaining, but the Yellow Jackets dominated the court the final two minutes to seal the victory.

  “Basketball is a game of runs,” said Randolph-Macon guard Adam Desgain. “Every team is going to make a run. It’s just a matter of how we go and respond to it. We talked about before – stay calm and just don’t let it happen again.”

  In those final minutes, Desgain contributed five points from the foul line himself. He finished with 14 points.

  Desgain’s fellow guard Calvin Croskey also scored 14 points – including two of his four 3-pointers in the final four minutes. Forward Lamar Giggetts scored 15 for the Yellow Jackets.

  One of the reasons Randolph-Macon had such a hard time putting the Tigers away was Hampden-Sydney guard Ben Jessee. The former Cosby Titan scored 17 points – including four 3-pointers.

  “We were just running the offense, trying to get good shots,” Jessee said. “A couple of plays I just happened to get a good look at it, so I tried to knock it down for my team.”

  Randolph-Macon got a big boost in the second half from freshman Akeem Holmes. The King William graduate had to fill in for a Hanover graduate, starting center Dylan Cole, who was out sick. Holmes scored 10 points and blocked three shots before picking up his fourth foul and leaving the game with 10:07 left.

  “I was thinking I had to really focus because one of our guys was out and I usually play behind him,” Holmes said. “It was my time to step up. I had to get focused really quick. I had to focus up on defense. I had my mind on my offense. I was fine after that.”

  Randolph-Macon wasted no time getting back on top after the Tigers evened the score in the final minutes. After a quick inbound, Croskey hit a 3-pointer to put the Yellow Jackets back on top, 72-69.

  Randolph-Macon coach Nathan Davis immediately called a time out, but not because he was worried about what may happen.

  “We were getting the shots we wanted,” Davis said. “We just had to stick with what we were doing, stick with the plan at both ends.

  “[The Tigers] were doing a good job on offense getting the shots they wanted. I didn’t know there was a whole lot we could do about the way it was going, but we had to make it a little tougher.”

  Hampden-Sydney coach Dee Vick felt the Yellow Jackets succeeded.

  “Tip your hat to Randolph-Macon, I thought they came out and played harder than we did,” Vick said. “I told our team I thought we did a nice job on the first-shot defense, but it was on the misses that they out-scrapped us for second opportunities. Any 50-50 ball early in the game they got.”

  The Tigers nevertheless out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 37-32. Randolph-Macon’s edge was in field goal percentage: converting 52 percent (28-of-54) of their attempts compared to 44 percent (28-of 64) shooting by Hampden-Sydney.

  The Yellow Jacket defense did its best not-to-help. Randolph-Macon defenders blocked six Hampden-Sydney shots – three of those blocks were by Holmes in the first half including one on former Hanover standout Greg Lewis, a freshman with the Tigers.

  “He’s been getting better and better,” Davis said. “He’s got a chance to be a special player if he keeps working at it. He’s doing great in school, so we’re really excited by what he’s capable of doing.”
 
HAMPDEN-SYDNEY (13-4, 7-2 ODAC) — Jessee 17, White 9, Williamson 9, Hargrove 2, George 9, Lewis 5, Ward 3, Corrigan 3, Anderson 12, Obradovic 13, Lumpkin 0. Totals — 28 16-21 80.
RANDOLPH-MACON (15-3, 8-2) — Badger 5, Croskey 14, Desgain 14, Simon 18, Giggetts 15, Robinson 6, Sullivan 0, Walker 2, Jackson 0, Fromang 2, Holmes 10. Totals — 28 23-29 86.
Haltime — Randolph-Macon 36, Hampden-Sydney 29.
3-point goals — HSC: Jessee 4, Corrigan, Lewis, Obradovic, Ward. RMC: Croskey 4, Desgain 3.