The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team continued its tough non-conference schedule on Thursday night, and despite holding a halftime lead, the Chargers fell to nationally-ranked Randolph-Macon, 82-60 in Ashland, Va., as part of Randolph-Macon's Coaches Tournament. The third-ranked Yellow Jackets improved to 10-1 this season with the victory, while the Chargers fell to 4-4. 

How it Happened: The teams exchanged baskets in the early part of the first half, as Jordan Shewbridge and Andrew Zentner got the Chargers on the board. Shewbridge tied the game at 9-9 with a 3-pointer, but the host Yellow Jackets regained the lead, and eventually led, 16-10 six minutes into the contest. 

Two free throws from Shewbridge, followed by another 3-pointer, cut the Chargers' deficit to 18-15 with 11:59 to play in the half, and another triple from Shewbridge knotted the score at 18 just 30 seconds later. Ethan Beachy gave Lancaster Bible the lead, 21-18 with a 3-pointer of his own a minute later, and Seth Beers capped the 11-0 run 1:23 later to give the Chargers a 23-18 advantage.

The Yellow Jackets trimmed the Lancaster Bible lead to one, but Jordan Praylow restored the Chargers' four-point advantage, 26-22, after another Lancaster Bible 3-pointer. A basket from Adam Stoltzfus and another Beachy 3-pointer extended the Chargers' lead to 31-22 with 3:44 remaining in the half, but the defending NCAA Division III National Champions showed why they've rarely lost in two years and cut their deficit to just three, 35-32, at the break.

Randolph-Macon quickly tied the game early in the second half, and though the teams exchanged baskets for a bit, the Yellow Jackets slowly began to pull away, and led, 51-41 six minutes into the second frame. Lancaster Bible trailed by 14 midway through the second half, but made one final run at the Yellow Jackets and used an 11-5 run to cut the deficit to 60-52 with 8:41 to play.

It would be as close as the Chargers would get however, as the Yellow Jackets clamped down defensively and outscored Lancaster Bible, 22-8 the rest of the way to earn the 82-60 victory.
 

By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 33.3 percent (20-of-60) from the floor, including 36 percent (9-of-25) from 3-point range…The Yellow Jackets shot 51.7 percent (31-of-60) from the field, including 40 percent (8-of-20) from beyond the arc…Randolph-Macon held a 41-37 edge in rebounds, and both teams took good care of the ball, as the Chargers committed just 12 turnovers, while the Yellow Jackets had eight…Randolph-Macon made its mark in the paint, outsourcing the Chargers, 42-18…Shewbridge led the Chargers with 15 points, 13 of which came in the first half…Stoltzfus finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Zentner added 10 points, six boards, and two blocks…Grant Sareyka also had nine points and five rebounds…Josh Talbert led four Randolph-Macon players in double figures with 16 points.

The Coach Says: "I'm proud of our effort tonight," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Jon Mack said. "I thought we came out with great effort and focus on the game plan in the first half, which led to us controlling and winning the half. In the second, we came out on our heels and allowed them to gradually take control of the game. We gave up too many points in the second, but I was pleased to see us take care of the ball with only 12 turnovers, which helped us hang around in the game. We will look to grow from this experience and prepare for another big challenge tomorrow."
 

Information to Know: Lancaster Bible is now 0-2 all-time against Randolph-Macon…This was the first game between the two teams since the 1990-91 season when the Yellow Jackets defeated the Chargers, 77-50 in Ashland, Va…Randolph-Macon won the 2021-22 NCAA Division III National Championship, and has now won 37 of its last 38 games and 60 of its last 62 contests over the past two seasons…Shewbridge now has 1,814 career points and is just the second men's basketball player in school history with 1,800 or more points (Sam Rempel, 1,979)...The nine made 3-pointers for Lancaster Bible tie a season-high (Dec. 3 vs. Penn College)...Lancaster Bible has double-digit offensive rebounds in seven of its eight games this season.
 

Up Next: Lancaster Bible will take on Rowan in Friday's Consolation Game…Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.