The Greensboro College men’s basketball team raced out an early lead and never looked back in an 81-70 win at LaGrange (7-7, 1-5 USA South) on Saturday. The win ups The Pride’s record to 8-7 overall and 3-4 in the USA South.
Greensboro scored the first six points of the day and took a commanding 10-2 lead less then six minutes into the game. The two teams traded blows until The Pride stretched the advantage into double digits at 28-18 with 5:46 to play in the first half.
By the time Greensboro concluded a 10-2 run with 3:16 left, it had built the margin to 34-20. The Pride led by as many as 19 points before taking a 43-27 lead into the break.
The Panthers came out swinging in the second half, however, slowly chipping away at the gap. LaGrange eventually brought the score to within 67-64 with 3:03 remaining in the game.
On the next two Greensboro possessions, Chakiris Moss knocked down two free throws and Brian Thomas added a three to provide cushion at 72-64 with 2:21 left.
The Panthers would climb no closer then six the remainder of the way as The Pride pushed the advantage back into double digits en route to the 81-70 final.
Luqman Tijani paced the Greensboro attack with a game high 26 points to lead four Pride players in double figures scoring. Damian Dixon finished the game 17 points and seven rebounds, while Moss and Thomas both added 13 points apiece. Raheem Martin grabbed a team leading nine rebounds.
Overall, The Pride shot 44% from the field compared to 39% for LaGrange. The Panthers held a slight 40-39 advantage on the boards but committed 26 turnovers on the day.
Greensboro will look to add to its two game winning streak on Wednesday night at Ferrum. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
1st 2nd Final
Greensboro (8-7, 3-4 USAS) 43 38 81
LaGrange (7-7, 1-5 USAS) 27 43 70