College Men’s Basketball Final – Guilford 74, Hampden-Sydney 41:Marcus Curry(Northern Guilford HS) with 12 points/9 rebounds for Quakers

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Carson Long scored a game-high 17 points and Marcus Curry(Northern Guilford High School) added 12 in Guilford College’s 74-41 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) basketball victory over visiting Hampden-Sydney College Saturday.

The Quakers (16-5, 10-2 ODAC) enjoyed a commanding 55-28 rebounding advantage in their sixth-straight win and their 13th triumph in 14 contests. The visiting Tigers (4-15, 1-11 ODAC) lost their 13th straight game.

After a sluggish opening 10 minutes in which neither team shot better than 25 percent from the floor, Guilford made some shots and outscored the Tigers, 25-8, in the first half’s final nine-and-a-half minutes. Long and Will Leckonby both scored six points during the spurt, which also included a five-minute scoring drought by the Tigers.

The second half was much of the same as Hampden-Sydney struggled to connect on 5-of-24 second-half field goals (20.4%). Guilford’s lead grew to as many as 35 points in the game’s waning minutes.

Guilford junior Steve Ruszala chipped in 10 points off the bench, two shy of his career high. Leckonby added nine points on three of Guilford’s nine 3-pointers. Rookie reserve Liam Ward added five points, seven boards, there blocks, two assists, and a steal in 19 productive minutes. Curry led Guilford’s rebounders with nine. Long and Kyler Gregory had six boards apiece and helped the Quakers to a 17-2 edge in second-chance points.

Jack Wyatt’s 12 points off the bench paced Hampden-Sydney’s offense. Morgan McKay added nine points in his team’s lowest scoring output of the season. Tigers’ scoring leader Chaise Johnson fouled with eight minutes to play after tallying three points, eight below his season average.

Coach Tom Palombo’s Quakers head to Salem, Virginia, Wednesday (2/6) for a 7:00 p.m. game at Roanoke College. The Maroons (15-7, 8-5 ODAC) are the last team to beat Guilford after scoring a 72-65 triumph January 9 in Greensboro.

Photos by Andy Gore
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