Hampden-Sydney, Va. -- Moving on!
Michael Gray notched a career-high 31 points to lead the University of Lynchburg men's basketball team to a 72-66 victory over a top-10 team in Hampden-Sydney to advance to the semifinal round of the ODAC tournament. Lynchburg's season continues in the semifinal round on Saturday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m. against Roanoke.
Michael Gray's 31 points were the most by an individual performer since Cam Savage hit 30 points against Washington and Lee on Dec. 1, 2021. He splashed seven 3-pointers in the outing, five of which came in the second half, which ties for the sixth-most threes nailed in a game in school history.
With 12:26 remaining in the affair, the Hornets trailed by six following two made free throws from Colin Radcliffe. Gray cashed a jumper succeeding a steal from
John Henderson that sparked a 19-6 run and put Lynchburg in front for good. Gray drained each of his last three attempts from beyond the arc, two of which were on back-to-back possessions to cap the run that ended with 4:45 on the clock.
The Hornets came into the contest as the seventh-seed and ousted the second-seeded Tigers, who are ranked No. 7 in the national poll. This is the first victory against a top-10 nationally ranked team for Lynchburg since the D3hoops national poll began in 1999.
The last time Lynchburg claimed victory against a top-25 nationally ranked team was against No. 25 Shenandoah last season in a 69-59 finish on Jan. 5, 2024. Tonight's triumph was the first ODAC postseason win for the program since the Hornets advanced to the conference championship game in the 2020-21 season.
On the glass, the Hornets grabbed 47 total rebounds to 38 from the Tigers. 14 of Lynchburg's rebounds came on the offensive end. Seven Hornet performers snagged five-or-more boards tonight, with
Jonathan Foust totaling a team-high nine rebounds.
Men's basketball stays alive and is set for a rematch against Roanoke on Saturday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m. in Salem, Va. at the Salem Civic Center. Lynchburg athletics is offering a free ticket list for alumni, one ticket apiece. Alumni are prompted to
complete this google form, which is also linked above, to claim your free ticket, which will be available at the ticket window inside the Salem Civic Center.
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--LYN--
