LEXINGTON, Ky. – Billy Kirby scored a game-high 22 points and Colin Lake added 20 in North Park College’s 66-56 comeback basketball win over Guilford College Wednesday. The contest marked the first of four games in the Don Lane Classic hosted by Transylvania University.
The Vikings (3-6) made nine second-half three-pointers on 17 tries, which helped them erase a 28-22 halftime deficit. Matt Szuba hit four-of-eight shots from long range and scored all of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Kirby and Lake added two treys apiece and combined for 23 second-half points.
Guilford’s Carson Long knocked in a triple five minutes into the second half to give the Quakers a 37-32 edge. North Park answered with three-pointers on four straight possessions, which fueled a decisive 12-2 run. Szuba canned two treys in the spurt that left the Vikings with a 44-39 edge with 11:55 remaining in regulation.
Kyler Gregory’s basket midway through the second half trimmed North Park’s lead to 47-45, but the Quakers went scoreless for the next six minutes. The drought helped the Vikings open a 13-point cushion with 2:44 remaining.
Kirby, Lake, and Szuba were the lone double-digit scorers for North Park, which shot 48 percent (13-27) from three-point range. Szuba added a team-high eight boards and Matt Mohr blocked five shots off the bench.
Marcus Curry’s (Greensboro, N.C./Northern Guilford (Bridgewater)) 18 points paced the Quakers, who managed just four-of-19 shooting from long range. Long finished with 12 points and Alston Thompson posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-best 10 rebounds.
Coach Tom Palombo’s Quakers wrap up tournament action Thursday (12/21) at 5:00 p.m. EST versus host Transylvania.