College Men’s Basketball Final – North Carolina Wesleyan 65, Guilford 61

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Matt Dougherty scored 10 of his team-high 16 point in the second half of North Carolina Wesleyan College’s 65-61 victory over visiting Guilford College Wednesday night. Dougherty made two three-pointers in the second half, which helped the Battling Bishops (5-2) thwart the Quakers’ (5-1) comeback.

North Carolina Wesleyan made seven three-pointers and held the Quakers to three-for-16 (18.8%) shooting from beyond the arc. David Gurganus (6 points) made two three-pointers and Cornelius Snow (7 points) added another during a 12-0 spurt late in the first half that helped the hosts to a 36-25 halftime advantage.

Dougherty’s three started the second-half scoring and Josh Morrison added another as the Battling Bishops opened a 14-point edge with 16:52 left in regulation. Guilford’s Brad Monroe (Asheboro, N.C./Eastern Randolph) scored 13 of his game- and career-high 17 points in the second half, which helped the Quakers claw back into the game.

Dougherty’s second triple restored North Carolina Wesleyan’s lead to 10 (59-49) with 5:18 remaining. Guilford twice pulled to within three points, but could not complete the comeback. Dougherty and Snow helped preserve the win by combining on three-of-four free throws in the final minute.

North Carolina Wesleyan reserve Alex Murray contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals. The Battling Bishops’ bench outscored its counterparts, 26-10, and helped convert 19 Guilford turnovers into 18 points. Domarius Thomas added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Monroe added a game-high 12 rebounds to his 17 points for his first double-double of the year. Guilford’s Carson Sullivan (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian (Pennsylvania)) scored 11 points and Will Freeman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Richmond Senior (N.C.)) notched a double-double with 10 points and a career-best 10 boards off the bench. North Carolina Wesleyan held all-star guard Josh Pittman (Archdale, N.C./Trinity) to a season-low six points on two-of-13 field-goal shooting.

The Quakers open Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play Saturday (12/3) versus visiting Bridgewater College at 3:00 p.m.

Guilford vs N.C. Wesleyan
11/30/11 5:30 pm at Rocky Mount, NC – Everett Gym
At Rocky Mount, NC – Everett Gym
N.C. WESLEYAN 65, GUILFORD 61

GUILFORD (5-1)
MONROE, Brad 6-10 5-7 17; SULLIVAN, Carson 4-8 3-5 11; FREEMAN, Will 4-9 2-2 10; STAFFORD, Justin 4-4 1-2 9; LOWDER, Gabriel 3-11 0-1 8; PITTMAN, Josh 2-13 1-1 6; GIBBS, Kevin 0-0 0-0 0; HOPKINS, Jake 0-0 0-0 0; HINTON, Jarred 0-0 0-0 0; EFIRD, Gene 0-0 0-0 0; KOPPENHAVER, Will 0-1 0-0 0; TRACY, Travis 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-58 12-18 61.

N.C. WESLEYAN (5-2)
DOUGHERTY, Matt 4-11 6-8 16; MURRAY, Alex 3-7 7-8 13; THOMAS, Domarius 5-9 0-1 11; SNOW, Cornelius 2-6 2-2 7; GURGANUS, David 2-3 0-0 6; GRIFFITH, Justin 3-10 0-0 6; NICHOLS, Devin 0-1 3-4 3; MORRISON, Josh 1-9 0-0 3; DANIEL, Isaac 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-58 18-23 65.

 
   Guilford..............   25   36  -   61
   N.C. Wesleyan.........   36   29  -   65

3-point goals–Guilford 3-16 (LOWDER, Gabriel 2-5; PITTMAN, Josh 1-6; TRACY, Travis 0-2; SULLIVAN, Carson 0-3), N.C. Wesleyan 7-19 (DOUGHERTY, Matt 2-4; GURGANUS, David 2-3; MORRISON, Josh 1-5; THOMAS, Domarius 1-2; SNOW, Cornelius 1-4; GRIFFITH, Justin 0-1).
Fouled out–Guilford-None, N.C. Wesleyan-NICHOLS, Devin.
Rebounds–Guilford 46 (MONROE, Brad 12), N.C. Wesleyan 34 (THOMAS, Domarius 11).
Assists–Guilford 9 (SULLIVAN, Carson 4), N.C. Wesleyan 13 (GURGANUS, David 3; MORRISON, Josh 3; DOUGHERTY, Matt 3).
Total fouls–Guilford 21, N.C. Wesleyan 18.
Technical fouls–Guilford-None,
N.C. Wesleyan-None.
A-333
nonconference game