College Men’s Basketball Final – Guilford 72, Methodist 64

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Matt McCarthy scored a game-high 20 points and Jonny Rice chipped in with 14 points and career-high 16 rebounds in Guilford College’s 72-64 basketball win at Methodist University Wednesday night.

McCarthy knocked down five three-pointers, four in the first half, which led to 12 points and a 35-27 Guilford halftime lead. Trever Hyatt knocked down two first-half triples as the Quakers (5-1) shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the opening half, compared to Methodist’s one-for-six long-range shooting effort.

The Monarchs (2-4) opened the second half on a 10-2 run and tied the game on Desmond Parker’s layup three-and-a-half minutes into the half. The Quakers called a 30-second timeout and Rice scored a traditional three-point play, which triggered a 12-4 spurt. Will Freeman capped the run with layups on consecutive trips down the floor to give Guilford a 49-42 edge with 12:20 remaining.

McCarthy’s fifth and final trifecta of the game gave Guilford a 58-50 lead with 7:32 left, but Methodist battled back to within 60-57 on a Jackson Whitley free throw with 3:56 to play.

Chris Vinson’s bucket drew the Monarchs to within 64-60 with 1:22 left. Following a Methodist timeout, Vinson stole the ball from McCarthy, but the Monarchs’ failed to convert on the possession despite two offensive rebounds. Guilford’s Rice rebounded a Vinson miss with 32 seconds left and made one of two free throws. The Quakers sealed the victory with four-of-six free-throw shooting in the final 28 seconds.

Rice scored 12 of his points in the second half thanks to eight-for-11 free-throw shooting. He also had 11 second-half rebounds. Hyatt and Freeman finished with 10 points apiece as Guilford put four students in double-figure scoring. The Quakers enjoyed a 44-31 rebounding edge and converted 13 offensive boards into 14 second-chance points.

Mike Major led Methodist with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tabias Hilliard finished with 10 points. The Monarchs managed just one-of-14 shooting from three-point range and missed 11-of-26 free throws.

Guilford opens Old Dominion Athletic Conference play Saturday (12/6) at 3:00 p.m. against nationally ranked Virginia Wesleyan College. The game marks Guilford’s Holiday Spirit Day where fans decked out for the season are eligible to win gift cards from Salsarita’s Cantina.

Guilford vs Methodist
12/03/14 7:00 pm at Fayetteville, N.C.
At Fayetteville, N.C.

GUILFORD – 72
METHODIST – 64

GUILFORD (5-1): Matt McCarthy 6-14 3-4 20; Jonny Rice 3-7 8-11 14; Will Freeman 4-10 2-4 10; Trever Hyatt 4-10 0-0 10; Hunter Jackson 2-3 0-0 6; Brandon Staves 2-4 0-0 4; Zachary Houston 1-4 2-2 4; Will Koppenhaver 1-4 2-4 4; Cole Greene 0-1 0-0 0; Jarred Hinton 0-1 0-0 0; Sanders Rohs 0-0 0-0 0; Jarrod Rogers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-58 17-25 72.

METHODIST (2-4): Mike Major 5-15 5-7 15; Tabias Hilliard 4-10 1-2 10; Brandon Monk 4-7 1-2 9; Davion Ayabarreno 4-6 0-1 8; Desmond Parker 3-7 2-2 8; Chris Vinson 2-5 1-4 5; T.J. Gill 1-7 2-3 4; Jackson Whitley 0-0 3-4 3; Austin Saunders 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 24-59 15-26 64.

Guilford......................   35   37  -   72
Methodist.....................   27   37  -   64

3-point goals–Guilford 9-23 (Matt McCarthy 5-13; Hunter Jackson 2-3; Trever Hyatt 2-5; Will Koppenhaver 0-1; Jonny Rice 0-1), Methodist 1-14 (Tabias Hilliard 1-3; Davion Ayabarreno 0-1; Desmond Parker 0-1; Chris Vinson 0-1; T.J. Gill 0-2; Mike Major 0-6).
Fouled out–Guilford-None, Methodist-Brandon Monk.
Rebounds–Guilford 44 (Jonny Rice 16), Methodist 31 (Mike Major 11).
Assists–Guilford 12 (Zachary Houston 4), Methodist 14 (Tabias Hilliard 4).
Total fouls–Guilford 19, Methodist 20.
Technical fouls–Guilford-None, Methodist-None.
A-273