Branscomb, a senior from Bristol, Tenn., shot nearly 65-percent from the field in leading Emory & Henry to a pair of conference victories, including a 75-65 decision over Randolph-Macon to take over sole possession of first place in the ODAC standings at 8-0 in league play. Branscomb opened his week with a career-high 34 points on 14-of-22 shotting from the field and 5-of-6 from the line in a 102-81 victory over Lynchburg. He added 11 rebounds with seven coming via the offensive glass for his sixth double-double of the season. The 34 points also marked his first 30-plus point game of his collegiate career. Branscomb then dropped in 20 points with nine rebounds against R-MC. He was 8-of-12 form the field and notched a steal. For the season, Branscomb is sixth in the ODAC in scoring (16.2) and fifth in rebounding (8.3). He is fourth in overall points scored (275) and field goals made (100) and fifth in free throws made (61).
Men's Basketball Weekly Notes
Bridgewater split a pair of ODAC games for the third straight week, picking up a win over Virginia Wesleyan (67-52) before falling to Roanoke (67-59). Dimetri Chambers led BC in scoring in both games, opening with 14 points and three boards against VWU. He added 12 points and three more rebounds against RC.
Eastern Mennonite went 1-1 in two ODAC outings, falling at Shenandoah (87-69) before righting the ship for a win over Randolph (83-62). Isaiah Harris-Winn poured in 23 points powered by five three-pointers against Randolph. He added four assists and three rebounds. He went for nine points and five rebounds at SU.
Guilford swept thru a pair of road games last week, picking up victories at Roanoke (77-65) and at Virginia Wesleyan (79-71). Guilford has now won four of its past five outings. Marcus Curry continued his transformation into a playmaker with a pair of solid outings. He went for 16 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the line at RC. He added five rebounds and two steals to his line. He did a little bit of everything at VWU, begining with a game-best 21 points on 7-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 from the stripe. He added eight boards, six assists, and two steals.
Hampden-Sydney fell at Randolph-Macon (81-50) and came up just short against Washington and Lee (70-68). The latter decision marked the Tigers eighth straight defeat. Malik Crute poured in 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting including 3-of-5 from deep against W&L. He added four assists. He posted 10 points, three boards, and three assists at R-MC.
Lynchburg lost at Emory & Henry (102-81) before picking up a home win over Shenandoah (90-76). Connor Schroeder shook off an eight-point outing at E&H to post a career-high 32 points with seven boards and three assists against SU. He was 13-of-18 from the field and 6-of-11 from downtown.
Randolph lost a pair of road games at Washington and Lee (76-73) and at Eastern Mennonite (83-62). Elijah Ford was a solid week for the WildCats, tying for team-high honors in both scoring and rebounding at W&L with 14 and seven, respectively. He also had two steals against the Generals. He added six points and four boards at EMU. He as 8-of-11 from the field for the week.
Randolph-Macon posted a 31-point victory over Hampden-Sydney (81-50) before seeing its seven-game winning streak snapped at Emory & Henry (75-65) in a contest for first place in the ODAC league standings. Montese Adams had a pair of strong outings. He went for a game-high 15 points with five boards and three steals against H-SC. He hit a trio of three-pointers along the way. He tied for team-high honors with 17 points to go with a R-MC best nine boards at E&H.
Roanoke split a pair of ODAC games last week, falling to Guilford (77-65) before leveling the slate at Bridgewater (67-59). Josh Freund was bottled up for seven points and four boards with two steals against GC, but then exploded for 23 points and a career-high 19 rebounds at BC. Eight of his boards came via the offensive glass. He was 7-of-12 from the field and 9-of-11 from the foul line in that game.
Shenandoah went 1-1 in two conference games with a win over Eastern Mennonite (87-69) and a loss at Lynchburg (90-76). Jonah Meredith came off the bench for a team-high 14 points with five boards, three steals, and two assists against EMU. In the starting lineup at LC, he went for 13 points, six boards, seven assists, and three steals. He was 9-of-10 from the foul line on the week, including 6-of-6 at LC.
Virginia Wesleyan dropped a pair of league outings at Bridgewater (67-52) and against Guilford (79-71). VWU has now lost three straight and four of its past five games. Lamont Steward scored 10 points apiece in both games. He added seven boards and two blocked shots at BC. He tacked on eight rebounds against GC.
Washington and Lee stayed in the mix at the top of the league table with a pair of wins over Randolph (76-73) and at Hampden-Sydney (70-68) last week. The Generals, who have won five of their past six games, are tied with Randolph-Macon for second at 7-1 in ODAC play. Roy McMillan was one of a few Generals with two strong outings. He went for 13 points and 14 rebounds with four blocked shots against Randolph. He followed with a game-high 21 points and six boards with three steals at H-SC.