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The Cinderella season for the Hampden-Sydney Tigers continued Friday. Junior Adam Brazil scored 20 points to lead the Tigers to a 78-69 victory against Virginia Wesleyan in the quarterfinals of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament.

Junior Davidson Hubbard contributed his 13th double-double with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the #2 seed Tigers (21-5). Meanwhile, senior Ryan Clements added 15 points and junior Alex Elliott had 10 points off the bench. H-SC led 37-35 at halftime and used a late 17-7 run to take control toward its 12th win in last 13 games, and 19th in last 21. Omari DeVeaux scored a game-high 22 points for the #7 seed Marlins (17-9).

“One at a time,” said fourth-year head coach Caleb Kimbrough. “Hard-fought win tonight. I thought we were locked-in and stayed together all game. Quick turnaround and have to do it again tomorrow.”

Falling behind early

Hampden-Sydney, ranked No. 20 in this week’s D3hoops.com Top 25 and No. 4 in Region VI of the all-important NCAA Division III Regional Rankings, fell behind early as VWU led 8-2 at 17:59. The Tigers took their first lead at 12-11 with 15:50 on the first-half clock after a three-point field goal by Brazil-his second in the opening 4:10, and the Garnet & Grey extended their advantage to 23-15 at 8:44 following fast-break layup from Clements that closed a 21-7 run-Brazil and Hubbard each scoring six quick points to spark the outburst. The Marlins fought back with a 15-7 run of their own to tie it at 30-30 with 4:46 left in the half, but H-SC answered with another fast-break layup by senior Chase Turner, another three-pointer from Brazil and a two-handed slam dunk in traffic by Clements to lead 37-32 toward a 37-35 lead at the intermission.

H-SC and VWU played evenly to begin the second half with the higher seed leading 44-41 at 17:21 after another three-pointer by Brazil, and the lead was 46-44 at 16:37 following a layup from Hubbard. The Marlins went ahead 47-46 at 15:12, before the Tigers put together a 17-7 run to take control and lead 63-54 with 5:53 remaining-Elliott getting it started with a three-pointer and layup, followed by a three-pointer by junior DJ Wright (Greensboro, GA), four quick points from Hubbard, a free throw by junior Josiah Hardy (Ashburn), two free throws from Brazil and a turnaround jumper on the baseline by Clements. VWU closed to within 67-63 at 2:29, but H-SC outscored the lower seed 11-6 over the final 2:01-getting seven late points from Clements, including a high-soaring offensive rebound and tip-in-for the victory to advance in the tournament.

Hampden-Sydney by the numbers

Brazil led H-SC with his 20 points, including 6-8 field goals (4-6 three-pointers) and 4-4 free throws, adding four rebounds. Hubbard finished with his 13th double-double of 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Tigers, adding a game-high two blocked shots, as well. Clements contributed 15 points and three assists, while Elliott added 10 points and six rebounds. H-SC shot 51% (29-57) from the field, including 38% (8-21) on three-pointers, and 75% (12-16) at the free throw line.

DeVeaux led VWU with his game-high 22 points, adding a game-high five assists. Jordan Crump had 11 points for the Marlins, while Amari Moorer and Eric Rowland each contributed 10 points. VWU shot 36% (22-61) from the field, including 31% (8-26) on three-pointers, and 85% (17-20) at the line.

Coming up next

Hampden-Sydney College advances to the semifinals of the 2023 ODAC Tournament to play either No. 3 seed Guilford (NC) or No. 6 seed Bridgewater on Saturday night, February 25, at 8 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center. The Tigers last played in the semifinals in 2014.