(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — Damion Dixon scored a game high 22 points as The Pride men’s basketball team opened the new year on a victorious note, rallying past Oneonta State, 82-75. Greensboro trailed at the break 40-35 before turning up the second half pressure to pull out the win.
The Pride started the game off strong, using an 8-0 run to grab a 28-19 midway through the first frame. The Red Dragons answered with a spurt of their own, tying the game up at 28-28 with 5:42 showing on the clock. A lay-up by Zach Mager with 3:04 remaining put Oneonta State back on top 34-32 and the margin would grow to as many as six prior to the break.
Greensboro made its move nearly seven minutes into the second half, using a 9-0 run to regain the advantage and bring the lead to 54-49. The Pride eventually pushed the score to 70-61 and Brian Thomas created some extra breathing room, at 76-65, with a big three-point basket.
The Red Dragons hung tough down the stretch, though, climbing to within 80-75 in the final minute before Greensboro could close out the win.
In addition to Dixon’s 22 points, Chakiris Moss and Luqman Tijani each contributed 14 points, while Thomas finished the game with 11. Tijani grabbed a team eight rebounds with Moss dishing out a game high seven assists.
Oneonta State held a slight 38-36 edge on the boards but were forced into 21 turnovers, with The Pride committing only 14 mistakes. Greensboro finished the game shooting 45.0% from the field compared to 44.3% for the Red Dragons. The Pride went 8-20 from three and held Oneonta State to 3-10 shooting from behind the arc.
Greensboro will be back in action on Wednesday, January 4 at Ferrum. The conference opener will tip off at 7:30 p.m.