Bison comeback falls short in home opener against Randolph, 78-76

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sophomore Tony Tatum (Birmingham, Ala.) drained a three-pointer with 59 seconds left in regulation as the Gallaudet University men's basketball team erased a 21-point deficit it faced 13 minutes ago to one, 74-73, against Randolph College. The Bison never gained the lead as two costly turnovers in the waning seconds helped the WildCats secure the 78-76 victory Sunday evening as the 2009-10 season got underway before 400 fans at the Field House.

Tatum led all scorers with 25 points as he made 5-of-6 shots from three-point range, including a final three before the end of the game to give the Bison 76 points as time ran out. Tatum added five rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Senior Johnny Jackson (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) added 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and made a team-high nine rebounds (seven offensive) and five assists in the loss.

Gallaudet (0-1) outscored Randolph 55-48 in the second half and in the final 14 minutes of play, 47-28. The WildCats (1-0) took a 50-29 lead with 13:43 left in the game on a lay-up made by Jason Rutschman (16 points). The Bison cut the lead to single digits when sophomore Kevin Berrigan (Frederick, Md.) made a lay-up in the paint as Randolph led 62-53 with 7:29 left. The WildCats quickly answered before GU got the lead to single digits for good on a three-pointer made by junior Bobby Siebert (St. Paul, Minn.) at the 5:32 mark as the Bison trailed by nine, 69-60. That set the stage for Tatum who made three of his five three-pointers in the final three minutes of the game.

Siebert was the third Bison to reach double figures with 11 points while sophomore Brandon McMillan (Frederick, Md.) and freshman Joshua Sisco (Spartanburg, S.C.) tallied six points each, as Sisco added six rebounds.  Berrigan added five points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Freshman Nicholas Elstad (Colorado Springs, Colo.) made two free throws for the Buff and Blue.

Randolph was led by sophomore forward Derrick Woods-Morrow who had a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Colton Hunt (14 points) and Pete Hamilton (12 points) were the two other players out of four to reach double figures in points for the WildCats. Randolph led by nine at the half, 30-21.

Gallaudet outrebounded Randolph, 38-27, and the Bison made 9-of-18 shots from three-point range. The WildCats took advantage of Gallaudet's 26 turnovers as Randolph shot a game best 51.7 percent from the field.

The Bison will next hit the road and begin conference play when Gallaudet makes the short trip to Arlington, Va., to face Capital Athletic Conference foe Marymount (Va.) University on Tuesday, November 17, at 8 p.m.