HAMPDON SYDNEY, Va. – La Roche men's basketball saw its NCAA Tournament appearance end in the First Round, as the Redhawks fell to the top overall seed and #1 team in the country, Hampden-Sydney, 98-61.
In the very early stages of the matchup, it was La Roche on top, leading 5-4 in the first 1:52 of play.
A pair of free-throws gave the Tigers the lead, one from that point it would never relinquish.
With 13:26 remaining in the first half, trailing 16-8, the Redhawks would put Hampden-Sydney on its heels momentarily, using a 7-0 run over the next 20 second to trim the deficit to 16-15, doing so behind 4-for-4 free-throw shooting thanks to a pair of Tiger technical fouls and a three-pointer.
Just shy of the midway point of the half, La Roche was still right there with the top overall seed, trailing just 23-21 with 9:59 to go.
It was then, Hampden-Sydney put together a 15-3 run, making it a 38-24 score with 5:30 remaining and would coast to a halftime lead of 55-35.
Out of the break, the Redhawks were doing all it could to try and chip away, but no matter what, the Tigers had a response, as the deficit never dropped below the 20-point mark as Hampden-Sydney advanced to the Second Round.
For the night, La Roche shot 19-for-55 (34.5%) from the floor and 9-for-25 (36%) from behind the arc. At the charity stripe, the Redhawks hit 14 of 18 attempts, a 77.8% clip.
On the other side, the Tigers would shoot 59.4% (38-for-64), 9-for-27 from three (33.3%) and 13-for-18 (72.2%) from the free-throw line.
It was the rebounding margin that played dividends in the end, as La Roche was outrebounded 50-19 on the night.
A trio of Redhawks scored in double-figures on the night, with freshman Bryce Epps shining on the big stage to lead the way.
Epps ended the night with 22 points behind 7-for-12 shooting and a 3-for-5 clip from behind the arc, adding three rebounds to his stat line.
Senior Frank Stumpo, in his final game, put together 13 points and a team-high five rebounds, while Dawson Summers chipped in 12 points, three rebounds and a block.
La Roche concludes the 2023-24 season with a final overall record of 17-11, as well as an AMCC Regular Season and Tournament Championship. The Redhawks will now begin focusing on defending their conference title and going for a three-peat.