Rematch of 2011 Finals on Tap as Randolph Faces Randolph-Macon in Semifinals

SALEM, Va. --- Randolph College junior and All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) guard Colton Hunt (Whittier, NC/Smoky Mountain) scored a game-high 29 points in leading the WildCats to an ODAC Tournament quarterfinal upset of No. 3 seed Guilford College 75-53 Friday evening from the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.

The victory sets up a rematch of the 2011 ODAC Tournament final, as the WildCats will take on Randolph-Macon College Saturday evening at 8 p.m. for the right to play in the finals. The win was also the second straight season Randolph has knocked off the Quakers to get to the semifinals.

The WildCats shot the ball well during the contest, making 24-of-47 from the field and over 50 percent from downtown. The defensive effort was just as good, holding the efficient Quakers to only 31.6 percent shooting on the game.

The WildCats nailed 46.2 percent of their three-pointers taken during the first half. The key for Randolph's lead in the first stanza was holding the Quakers to only 28.6 percent (8-of-28) from the field.

Randolph was up by six early at 8-2 after a jumper from All-ODAC Third Team player Derrick Woods-Morrow (Greensboro, NC/Guilford) . The WildCats built their lead up to 12 with 7:04 to play after five consecutive points from Hunt. Randolph led by as much as 15 but three straight trifectas from All-ODAC First Team Quaker, Josh Pittman, made the score 31-20 at the half.

Hunt led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, going 4-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The spark off the bench for Randolph was junior center Chris Battaglia (Smithfield, VA/Portsmouth) . Battaglia was four-of-five from the floor, making both attempts from distance.

The second stanza was much of the same for the Randolph as it made 5-of-8 from three-point range and 60-percent from the floor overall. The WildCats slowly built their lead up to 20 points at 49-29 after a three-ball from Battaglia. GC trimmed the advantage twice to 12 points, the last at 9:23 left on a lay-up from Brad Monroe.

Randolph went on an 8-0 run, capped by four points from Hunt to push the lead back up to 18. The WildCat defense would continue to get stops, pushing Randolph's edge up to a game-high 24 points before advancing with the 75-53 win.

Hunt, also an All-ODAC First Team choice as well as the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete, finished 9-of-16 from the floor, which included a 5-of-8 showing from three-point land. His 29 points were the second most in program history, topped only by his career-high of 30 against Bridgewater College earlier in the season.

Battaglia regisered 15 points while making all three shots from behind the arc.  He has scored 22 points in his last two games at the Civic Center.  Desgain posted nine assists, seven points and five rebounds in strong all-around effort.  Woods-Morrow had eight points and six rebounds. The WildCats dished out 16 assists on 24 buckets and turned the ball over only 12 times all night.

Josh Pittman led the way for Guilford with 15 points, hitting all four of his field goals from behind the arc. Gabriel Lowder had 12 points, and Monroe had six points and six rebounds. Guilford, the league’s best rebounding team, won the margin by two at 32-30.

--- This release is courtesy of the Randolph College sports information department. ---
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