College Men’s Basketball Final – #17 Guilford 84, N.C. Wesleyan 78

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Alston Furr (King, N.C./West Stokes) scored a career-high 22 points in Guilford College’s 84-78 overtime basketball win at North Carolina Wesleyan College Tuesday afternoon. The freshman forward drained six of seven three-pointers, including one in overtime, helping the Quakers move to 9-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign.

Guilford advanced to 17th in this week’s D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, their highest ranking since the Quakers finished third in the final 2009-10 rating.
Furr’s sixth and final three-pointer of the game came with 1:52 left in overtime and gave the Quakers an 80-78 lead. The Battling Bishops (4-5) missed their final four shots of the game, during which time Guilford did not allow an offensive rebound. Matt McCarthy’s basket with 1:09 left opened a four-point spread and rookie Zachary Houston’s two free throws with 12 seconds remaining iced the win.

N.C. Wesleyan’s Josh Morrison scored nine points and Devontae Williams added five in the second half’s final six minutes, which keyed a furious Bishops’ rally. Zeb Richardson’s (West Jefferson, N.C./Ashe County) basket with 5:18 left in regulation opened a 70-55 Quakers’ edge, but N.C. Wesleyan closed the half on a 19-4 run, capped by D.J. Weaver’s three-pointer with eight seconds left that forced extra time with the teams tied at 74.

The two squads traded baskets in overtime’s first three minutes before Furr’s decisive trifecta, which established the rookie’s new career scoring high. Richardson finished with 15 points, 12 boards and two blocks for the Quakers. Teammate Jake Hopkins (Kernersville, N.C./East Forsyth) also notched a double-double, his team-leading third of the year, with 11 points and 14 boards. McCarthy scored 12 points and led the Quakers with four assists and three steals.

Morrison’s 35 points led all scorers. He and Furr put on a first-half show with Morrison scoring 22 points and Furr 14. The Bishops’ Weaver had four three-pointers and finished with 12 points. Brandon Brown added six markers and a game-best 15 rebounds for N.C. Wesleyan.

The Quakers are back in action Dec. 28-29 at the Coaches Classic by Kay Jewelers in Ashland, Va. Guilford meets Dickinson College and Birmingham Southern College in a tournament hosted by Randolph-Macon College.

Guilford vs N.C. Wesleyan
12/17/13 3:00 p.m. at Rocky Mount, NC – Everett Gym
At Rocky Mount, NC – Everett Gym

GUILFORD 84
N.C. WESLEYAN 78

GUILFORD (9-0): FURR, Alston 7-15 2-2 22; RICHARDSON, Zeb 7-13 1-5 15; McCARTHY, Matt 4-15 2-2 12; HOPKINS, Jake 5-8 1-2 11; SPAINHOUR, Josh 3-5 0-0 8; HYATT, Trever 2-7 2-2 7; HOUSTON, Zachary 1-3 2-2 4; STOKELY, Robbie 1-2 1-2 3; KOPPENHAVER, Will 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 31-71 11-17 84.

N.C. WESLEYAN (4-5): Josh Morrison 15-25 1-4 35; D.J. Weaver 4-10 0-0 12; David Gurganus 3-9 0-0 7; Jesse Simpson 3-14 0-0 7; Brandon Brown 3-10 0-1 6; Devontae Williams 2-6 1-1 5; Shannon Huff 2-4 0-2 4; Allen Hauser 1-2 0-0 2; Fola Branco 0-0 0-0 0; Tamell Bradham 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-81 2-8 78.

   Guilford......................   42   32   10  -   84
   N.C. Wesleyan.................   38   36    4  -   78

3-point goals–Guilford 11-28 (FURR, Alston 6-7; McCARTHY, Matt 2-11; SPAINHOUR, Josh 2-4; HYATT, Trever 1-4; HOUSTON, Zachary 0-1; HOPKINS, Jake 0-1), N.C. Wesleyan 10-36 (D.J. Weaver 4-7; Josh Morrison 4-9; Jesse Simpson 1-8; David Gurganus 1-5; Allen Hauser 0-1; Devontae Williams 0-2; Brandon Brown 0-4).
Fouled out–Guilford-None, N.C. Wesleyan-None.
Rebounds–Guilford 47 (HOPKINS, Jake 14), N.C. Wesleyan 48 (Brandon Brown 15).
Assists–Guilford 13 (McCARTHY, Matt 4), N.C. Wesleyan 13 (Brandon Brown 4).
Total fouls–Guilford 12, N.C. Wesleyan 15.
Technical fouls–Guilford-None, N.C. Wesleyan-None.
A-124

Nonconference game