Lucus Brown did the same for Salamanca.

The difference in Tuesday night’s nonleague basketball game came down to one statistical category and it was the Warriors who were the beneficiaries.

Salamanca forced the Cardinals into 24 turnovers, built a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter and then held off a furious rally to register a 68-64 victory.

The win improves the Warriors’ record to 5-1 and left head coach Adam Bennett pretty happy after the final horn.

Randolph’s Gabe McCoy comes down with a rebound. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

“We felt all year long that this is, by far, the most athletic, the smartest and the most versatile team that we’ve had,” he said. “So, our goal was to create as much pressure as we could out on the perimeter, which allows us to get easier offense in transition, and our guys did that.

“We weren’t perfect, especially down the stretch … but our guys made the plays they needed to make.”

Randolph (4-1), meanwhile, dropped its first game, prompting head coach Kevin Hind to lament his team’s inability to take care of the ball.

“(Salamanca) came to play, they came to beat us, they walked in on a mission,” he said. “Give them credit. The played hard. I thought they played harder than us for 28 minutes, 29 minutes.”

The turning point came during a seven-minute stretch of the third quarter during which Salamanca limited the hosts to one field goal — a 3-pointer by Carson Conley — that transformed a 35-all tie into a 51-38 Warriors’ lead heading in the final period. And when Andy Herrick hit a pair of free throws, converted a layup a minute later and Brown drilled a trey a minute after that, Salamanca’s lead stood at 58-44.

Salamanca’s Lucus Brown drives to the basket while being defended by Randolph’s Gabe McCoy during Tuesday’s nonleague basketball game. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

The Cardinals, who shot better than 50% from the floor, didn’t wilt, however, staying within striking distance thanks to McCoy, who scored 16 of his game-high 32 points in the final eight minutes. His putback with 1:08 remaining, trimmed the Warriors’ lead to 66-62, but Randolph missed a shot with 22 seconds remaining, Salamanca’s Harley Hoag converted a pair of free throws 10 seconds later and the Warriors’ boisterous rooting section could begin to celebrate.

“This is, if not THE hardest, it’s certainly ONE of the hardest places to play in Western New York,” Bennett said. “That’s a credit to Kevin and everything he’s built. To be able to come in here and get a win, I’m just really proud of the guys.”

Brown finished with 25 points, four rebounds and four steals; Herrick added 14 points; RJ McLarney collected 13 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists; and Hoag chipped in 9 points and five assists to lead the Warriors.

Joining McCoy in double figures for Randolph were Drew Hind with 14 points and Conley with 13.

“We should not have had 24 turnovers,” Coach Hind said. “We should be poised and good enough. It shouldn’t happen.

“We shot over 50 percent from the floor because Gabe dominated inside. (Salamanca) didn’t give us many good looks, but we didn’t have other good looks because of 24 turnovers.”

SALAMANCA (68)

Isaac 0 0 0, Ross 0 0 0, Brown 9 3 25, Hoag 2 3 9, Herrick 4 4 14, McLarney 5 1 13, Totals 22 14 68.

RANDOLPH (64)

Nelson 0 0 0, Kelly 0 0 0, Hind 4 2 14, Conley 5 0 13, McCoy 14 4 32, Huntington 2 0 5, Totals 25 6 64.

3-point goals–Brown 4, Hoag 2, Herrick 2, McLarney 2, Hind 4, Conley 3, Huntington.

Salamanca 21 12 18 17 — 68

Randolph 13 18 7 26 — 64