Wooster, OH — A cream-of-the-crop weekend tournament proved too much in the pursuit of Messiah's first win of the season, as the Falcons dropped a 49-75 decision to 14th-ranked Randolph-Macon College and a 77-86 contest to 21st-ranked College of Wooster at the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic Friday and Saturday.
Messiah (0-3) connected on just 24.6 percent of its shots against Randolph-Macon in Friday's defeat and allowed Wooster to hit on 12 of 23 three-pointers (52.2 percent) in Saturday's loss, leaving head coach Rick Van Pelt with two different issues following the weekend. One thing was clear, however: With a tournament featuring two ranked teams in the D3hoops.com pre-season Top 25 Poll and another team — unranked Washington & Jefferson College — that beat both, the competition will not get much tougher.
“This weekend was only disappointing because we really wanted to win,” Van Pelt said. “However, in my time at Messiah we have never played two teams in a tournament with the tradition of NCAA success and the talent as these two teams we faced this past weekend.”
Randolph-Macon's 2008-2009 resume' was already impressive, as the Yellow Jackets handed NCAA Division I George Mason University a 73-72 loss in an exhibition contest Nov. 5. Friday night against Messiah, it was Randolph-Macon's defense that did the trick, as the Yellow Jackets limited the Falcons to just eight first-half baskets from the floor and only seven in the second period.
Those numbers led to a methodical, intensifying lead for Randolph-Macon (1-1), as a 22-14 difference at the first half's midway point expanded to a 35-16 lead with just 5:22 to play. Messiah would cut the lead to 11 points early in the second half following a three pointer from junior Andy Hawk and a pair of free throws from classmate Kyle Snyder, but the Yellow Jackets went on another 14-4 run to claim a 56-35 lead with 10:03 to play. Van Pelt's squad would get no closer than 19 points the rest of the way, while Randolph-Macon would lead by as many as 28 points before finishing with the 75-49 disparity.
Hawk paced the offense as Messiah's lone double-figure scorer, charting 17 points to go with a career-high 15 rebounds. That statistic was part of a 51-33 advantage in total rebounds claimed by the Falcons — all with a 23-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
As Randolph-Macon connected on 27 of 61 total shots (44.3 percent) compared to Messiah's 15 of 61 performance (24.6 percent), those rebounding numbers could not turn the tide. Messiah's usually reliable guard trio of seniors Jason Miller and Drew Sneeringer along with junior Jamie Yoder shot a combined three for 24 from the field (12.5 percent).
“We battled hard both night and our guys approached both games with the mindset that we were preparing and competing to win,” Van Pelt said. “On Friday that showed up in our ability to rebound the basketball against a much taller and physical team. Unfortunately we had a very difficult time making shots.”
After Washington & Jeff stunned the Fighting Scots by a 72-70 score in Friday's late game, Messiah would have to face hosts in Saturday's consolation game. And while the Falcons improved offensively to convert on 28 of 57 total attempts from the field (49.1 percent), Wooster's shooting both overall (30 of 55, 54.5 percent) and from long range (12 of 23, 52.2 percent) was just too much to overcome.
Messiah stayed close throughout the first half of play, despite being out-rebounded by a 22-12 difference overall and an 8-3 disparity on the offensive boards alone. A three pointer from sophomore Tyler Ritzman gave the Falcons a 24-21 lead with just 7:43 to play in the first period, but a trio of unanswered threes from the Scots turned the tables in a matter of a minute and a half. The Falcons trailed by a 30-24 count with 6:13 to play, and would eventually follow by a 40-35 score at the half.
Some solid play at the outset of the second kept things close, as a pair of free throws from Snyder actually gave Messiah a brief 57-56 lead with 11:54 remaining in the contest. Another Wooster run — again fueled by three buckets from deep — changed the landscape of the game permanently, as the Scots outscored Messiah by a 14-2 difference over the next five minutes to open up a 70-59 lead.
Fouling to extend the game down the stretch, the Falcons would whittle Wooster's lead to just five points with 39 seconds remaining, but made free throws kept the hosts out of reach en route to the 86-77 final.
Hawk again scored 17 points — this time on six of nine shooting from the field — numbers that promoted him to all-tournament team status. Sneeringer led the way with 19 points on a seven-for-15 effort, while Miller scored 17 on a seven-for-10 clip. Snyder added 12 points and a team-high five rebounds, an honor shared with Hawk.
Washington & Jefferson defeated Randolph-Macon by a 71-64 score in the tournament championship game.
“We were much better offensively Saturday despite some quick shots and a few costly turnovers,” Van Pelt said. “We were within striking distance at the end, but Wooster really shot the three well and that was the difference in the game. Both games forced us to focus on playing error-free basketball at a very high level of intensity, and that is good for our team. All in all it was a great weekend. Sure we want to win and it is hard to swallow when we don't, but the adversity we faced this weekend has the potential to make us a stronger team as we continue to try and improve.”
Van Pelt's club will not have to wait long for another opportunity on the competitive court, as the team will travel to Lancaster Bible College Tuesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
