ASHLAND, Va. – Maryville fought hard but fell to No. 3 ranked Randolph-Macon 81-68 on Day 2 of the Randolph-Macon Coaches Tournament.
The Scots found themselves down 26-8 with 7:46 remaining in the first half, but they finished the half outscoring the Yellow Jackets 16-8 and finishing the first 20 minutes down just 34-24.
MC's strong play continued in the second half, as they were outscored just 47-43 in the final 20 minutes of play. The Scots would pull within three points with 14:48 remaining following a jumper in the paint from
Jose Rodriguez. From that point on, the Yellow Jackets outscored the Scots 41-31 through the end of the game.
Despite the loss, Maryville head coach
Raul Placeres was happy with his team's performance and the fight that they showed.
"We came back again and cut it to a single possession with a chance to tie it midway in the second half, and it stayed a two-possession game nearly the rest of the way." Placeres said. "It was tough playing without one of our better players there in the second half. We were missing almost 20 points a game and a guy who is typically a good second-half player."
"We fought hard; we competed. This is the toughest nonconference schedule we have had in our program's history, and our guys found a way to win some good games."
The Scots' offensive effort was led by
Charlie Cochran, who posted 16 points while shooting 7-for-14 from the field. The forward from Louisville, Kentucky was named to the All-Tournament team after the contest.
Rodriguez posted his second double-double of the season, recording a season-high 13 rebounds and 10 points. The first-year guard has now scored double-digit points in three contests this season.
Jackson Garner played a team-high 35 minutes and led the Scots defense with three steals.
Entering the new year, Maryville begins conference play on the road against Covenant on January 3.
Coach Placeres believes that the competition they've played so far this season has them well-prepared for the upcoming schedule.
"We've learned a lot, we've grown a lot, we've taken the best punches of the best teams in the country, and we've done it on the road," Placeres said. "Now we are excited about the new challenges ahead."
"We know we are the favorite in our league, and we embrace that title. Now we have to bring it every single night. We've got to strive to be 1-0 coming out of every game. We can't overlook anybody."
Tip-off against Covenant on Tuesday is at 7 p.m.
