FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Greg Rowson scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half of the University of Mary Washington’s 79-77 men’s basketball win over visiting Guilford College Saturday night. The contest marked the second of the Hyatt Place Tip-Off Tournament. North Carolina Wesleyan College knocked off Ferrum College, 68-49, in Saturday’s other tournament contest.
The back-and-forth contest featured five ties and 21 lead changes. The Eagles (2-0) held the game’s largest lead, 31-21, just over four minutes before halftime. Guilford closed the half on a 9-2 run to draw within 33-30 at the break.
The teams traded baskets and the lead for much of the second half. Joah Logan’s layup with 7:32 left in regulation left put the Quakers in front for the final time at 56-55. Da’Shawn Cook’s three-pointer 14 seconds later put Mary Washington ahead for good and sparked a 12-4 Eagles’ spurt capped by two Johnny Cronin free throws, which opened a 67-60 margin with 4:15 remaining.
Late threes by Jaylen Gore (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) and Will Leckonby (Salisbury, N.C./Salisbury)helped make it a one-possession game with a minute left. Rowson answered with a clutch trifecta with 42 seconds remaining and iced the win with four free throws in the final 21 seconds.
Cook and Mark Madison both scored 15 points for Mary Washington. Cronin added a team-high 11 rebounds to his nine points. The Eagles shot 25-for 65 from the floor, including 14-for-39 from three-point range. They also scored 23 points off of Guilford’s 19 turnovers.
The loss spoiled an outstanding outing by Guilford senior forward Marcus Curry (Greensboro, N.C./Northern Guilford (Bridgewater)). The forward led all scorers with 25 points and added a game-best 13 rebounds, which helped the guests to a 49-35 rebounding edge. Curry shot seven-of-11 from the floor and made all 10 free throws. Leckonby finished with a career-high 17 points off the bench thanks in part to five three-pointers. Gore finished with 12 points for Guilford and teammate Carson Long (Pilot Mountain, N.C./East Surry) chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
Coach Tom Palombo’s Quakers meet N.C. Wesleyan Sunday (11/18) at 1:00 p.m. in their final tournament tilt.
Photos by Andy Gore
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