Virginia Beach, VA - The Regent University Royals Men's Basketball team braved the snowy conditions in Virginia Beach on Saturday night for an exciting double-header matchup with Warren Wilson College. This was the first of two match-ups of the season between the two teams. With the spring academic calendar underway and an exciting win fresh in the memories of the Royals, they looked to keep the positive momentum going in 2025.
Sophomore Brendan Goods (Long Beach, CA) drove hard to the basket after an assist from Freshman Brandon Williams (Windsor, NC) to begin the scoring output for Regent early in the first half. The Owls and the Royals battled, with neither able to gain advantage on offense or defense. Sophomore Antoine Brown (Chesapeake, VA), who currently sits in fourth place in the Regent record books for rebounds, helped push the Royals forward with a mid-range jumper followed by a three from the corner. Sophomore DJ Dillon (Franklin, VA) drained his own three pointer to pull Regent to within six points of Warren Wilson, as they tried to slowly cut into the deficit. Eventually Brown picked up the defensive pressure and turned a steal into a layup on the other end of the court, while Junior Darrin Clark (Suffolk, VA) pushed the ball up the court for another layup to bring the Royals within four points. Within the last five seconds of the half, Dillon converted a heavily contested layup sending Regent into the half only trailing 39-37.
A few possessions into the second half, Clark drained his first three-pointer of the game to give the Royals the advantage, while on the other end of the court they continued their defensive pressure, forcing quick turnovers. Regent has averaged a program high 9 steals/game this season, and this contest was no exception. Clark helped lead the way offensively allowing the Royals to go on a 20-9 run with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game. Regent and the Owls traded baskets for the rest of the game, but with just under 30 seconds on the clock, Brown secured a crucial defensive rebound off a Warren Wilson shot and then Sophomore Micah Eastman (Virginia Beach, VA) sank two critical free throws to put the Royals up five points with just under two seconds left. They would hold off a last second effort by the Owls and as the final buzzer sounded, Regent would earn their second win in a row, defeating Warren Wilson by a final score of 74-72.
Clark finished the game with 19 points, while Brown added 15 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. In addition, Brown had a game high five steals. Dillon was near perfect from behind the arc going 3-4 to finish with 12 points and Eastman turned in a solid performance with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Williams was once again perfect from the free throw finishing 4-4.
The Royals will be back in action on Saturday, January 18th as they host Carolina University in the second game of a doubleheader. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm.
