GC Men’s Basketball Rolls by LaGrange for Eighth Straight Win

The Pride men’s basketball team sent its senior class out with style, beating LaGrange 89-75 for its eighth straight win and tenth in its past 11. Greensboro jumped out to a 41-30 halftime lead and held of a Panther rally in the second to pull away.

LaGrange came ready to play in the first half, going up by as many as seven points at 22-15 at the 11:49 mark. The Pride would get hot from there, using back-to-back threes by Donald Anderson and Brian Thomas to spark a 13-0 run and take a 28-22 lead.

The Panthers would close the margin to 32-30 with 2:53 left in the half before Greensboro closed the frame out with nine straight points.

LaGrange would chip away at the deficit in the second, finally taking over the lead at 52-51 just over six minutes into the half. Trailing 54-53, The Pride would put the next ten points on the board to race back in front 63-54.

Greensboro would not relinquish the lead again, growing the margin to as many as 20 points before sending its seniors to the bench with a curtain call with 1:02 left.

Luqman Tijani and Devonta Davis led the charge with 20 points apiece. Damion Dixon added 18, while Thomas chipped in 11 and Anderson finished with ten. Tijani and Dixon both grabbed a team high seven boards, with Chakiris Moss dishing out a game best seven assists.

Overall, The Pride shot 47.7% from the field for the game and forced 19 turnovers on defense.

Playing in their final home game for Greensboro were Anderson, Thomas, Tijani and Moss. Combined, this year’s senior class has 12 years of experience, with 297 games played and 178 starts. They have helped lead Greensboro to 57 wins and an appearance in the USA South Tournament Championship during the 2011-12 season.

Greensboro concluded its regular season with a 16-8 record overall and a 9-5 mark in the USA South. The Pride have locked up the third seed in next week’s USA South basketball tournament and will await a first round opponent – to be determined – on Thursday in Fayetteville, NC.