HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- The 2025-26 season has come to a close for the University of Lynchburg men's basketball team, following an 82-70 loss at Hampden-Sydney in the ODAC Quarterfinal.
Sophomore forward
Jamarcus Brown led the Hornet's (14-12, 9-7 ODAC) in scoring, notching a game-high 23 points, 15 of which came in the second half.
Michael Gray contributed 18 points, while
Jayson Easton (13 pts, 11 reb) and
Jesse Mitchell (11 pts, 12 reb) both notched double-doubles for the Hornets.
Hampdeny-Sydney (17-9, 10-6 ODAC) opened up with a commanding start on their home floor. Feeding off the energy form the crowd, the tigers held the Hornets scoreless to the first media timeout and grasped onto a 9-0 lead.
As the opening twenty minutes moved along, the Hornets struggled to find their offensive rhythm. A collective and relentless effort on the defensive end by H-SC caused constant chaos and ultimately resulted in good looks in transition on the other end. Hampden-Sydney lead by as many as 19 in the first half, and took a 15 point lead into the locker room.
Coming out of the intermission, a new team in red emerged. The Hornets dominated the glass on both sides of the court, shutting down Hampden-Sydney's attack and getting second chances on their end. Team hustle, combined with a scoring frenzy from Brown, allowed the Hornets to slowly inched their way back into the game.
With 10:46 remaing, Michael Gray buried a long distance triple to give Lynchburg a 50-49 lead, their first of the game. However, the Lynchburg advantage was short lived. 22 seconds later, Hampden-Sydney reclaimed the lead and a quick 5-0 run, turned into a 18-4 spurt.
After seizing firm control once again, the Tigers kept Lynchburg at bay for the remainder of the contest with timely buckets and reliable free-throw shooting.
Despite a hard-fought effort by the Hornets, their season ultimately came to a close with the road defeat. Lynchburg will return a host of key contributors next season, while simultaneously saying goodbye to seniors Jayson Easton, Pierce Young, Dre Ross, and Elijah Thomas.
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--LYN--
