SALEM, Va. – Joe Mikalauskas scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half of Roanoke College’s 76-59 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) basketball win over visiting Guilford College Wednesday night.
Mikalauskas made 5-of-6 second-half 3-pointers to help the Maroons (16-7, 9-5 ODAC) sweep the season series from Guilford (16-6, 10-3 ODAC) and snap its six-game winning streak. Earlier Wednesday, Guilford learned it was ranked fourth in the season’s first NCAA Division III South Region Poll.
Guilford took a 31-30 halftime lead after a see-saw opening period, but Roanoke outscored the Quakers, 24-5, over the second-half’s first seven minutes. The Maroons drained five of their 13 3-pointers during the run, which featured eight points apiece by Mikalauskas and C.J. Miles (14 points). The outburst gave Roanoke an insurmountable 54-36 lead with 12:50 left in regulation.
Once Guilford stopped the run and made a few shots, Mikalauskas answered at the other end with a timely three. A Marcus Curry trifecta with 2:08 left to play got Guilford to within 69-59, but the Maroons sealed the win with 7-for-8 free-throw shooting in the final two minutes.
Guilford entered the game ranked fourth among NCAA Division III field-goal percentage defense (.371) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (.281) leaders. The Maroons made 26-of-51 (51%) shots from the floor and 13-of-26 (50%) 3-pointers, the first time this year an opponent shot 50 percent or better in either category against the Quakers.
Roanoke’s Caleb Jordan made 2-of-3 3-pointers and added 17 points. Reigning ODAC Player of the Year Josh Freund compiled his league-leading 12th double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-best 15 rebounds.
Kyler Gregory’s 18 points paced Guilford’s offense. Curry(Northern Guilford HS) finished with 13 points and a club-best nine rebounds. The Quakers’ Carson Long chipped in 10 points and Jaylen Gore(Northwest Guilford HS) had six points, four assists, and two steals.
Coach Tom Palombo’s club visits league-rival Bridgewater College Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
Courtesy of Dave Walters
Guilford College Athletics SID
Photos by Andy Gore
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