As we embarked on our drive to Lynchburg last night, we knew we were off to see an exhibition game. And to some degree, this was an exhibition for us as well: preparation for the real work ahead. Luckily, aside from a lack of foresight regarding parking at the Vines Center—who knew that 7,000 people would show up?—it went well for us and for the team we were there to see.

This experience, as fans and as writers, was far different from what we expect to encounter as the project continues. This was our one encounter with the world of D-I sports for the duration of the project and we went in understanding a few things. First, the Wildcats would be at a clear physical disadvantage. Second, the Vines Center would be the largest venue we would visit by a long shot. Third, this would be our biggest chance to root wholeheartedly for one of our teams, along with the few Randolph faithful who traveled across town to root for their Cats.

What we didn’t expect was all the distractions from the game: the television feed on the massive over-the-court scoreboard; the literal flamethrowers which briefly lit up the arena for every Liberty three-pointer, dunk, and free-throw (yes, even free-throws); the variety of media timeout entertainment activities; the seemingly omnipresent t-shirt cannons; even the (admittedly awesome) trampoline dunk team during halftime.

Those distractions, though, were far less interesting than the surprisingly competitive game going on in between the timeouts.

Liberty had a substantial size advantage on paper; the Flames average almost three full inches over their Wildcat counterparts, and that translated into a 37-to-22 edge on the boards and eight blocks by the final buzzer. It seemed throughout the game that every time the Cats tried to engineer something in the paint, there was a larger Flame there to break it up. Drives inside, post-up moves, and even fast-break layups were struggles for the Cats, who managed only 26 points in the paint.

And yet for the first 30 minutes or so, it was a hard-fought matchup. Hot perimeter shooting from sophomores Jason Eddie and Zach Desgain, who together went 7-for-8 from the field and accounted for more half of the Cats’ scoring in the first half, mitigated LU’s advantage inside the arc. As good as the Liberty interior defense was, Randolph countered with effective ball movement. The Flames’ 2-3 zone failed to adequately contest mid- and long-range jump shots for most of the game, and the Cats rode the hot hand to stay within single-digits at the break.

It seemed reasonable to assume Liberty head coach Dale Layer would institute some adjustments and put the Cats away. Instead, his guys were plagued by sloppy play for the first five minutes out of the break. However, Randolph failed to capitalize effectively, turning Liberty’s five turnovers into just three points. And yet, with 14:46 left, it looked as if Randolph might be poised for the upset, down only four. That’s when Liberty buckled down and the Cats’ shooters cooled off. Six turnovers fueled a 19-3 Liberty run. By the third media timeout of the half, it was all but over.

A loss was to be expected. To the best of our knowledge, no D3 team upset a D1 opponent last year. Just yesterday, Manchester was handed a 101-49 defeat. The competitiveness of this game should give Randolph coach Clay Nunley hope that, despite the loss of first-team All-American and Jostens Trophy recipient Colton Hunt, his reloaded Wildcats team will be able to compete in this conference. We’ll get an opportunity to find out when the regular season begins next week.

Final: Liberty Flames 74, Randolph Wildcats 53.
Photos: Randolph @ Liberty
Player of the Game: Zach Desgain (14 points, 2:1 assist/turnover ratio)
Mileage Tracker: 141 miles
Next Stop: The W&L Tip-Off Tournament, November 19 (Lexington, VA)