College Men’s Basketball Final – Guilford 81, Averett 68

DANVILLE, Va. – Guilford College jumped to a 26-point lead in the first half and held off an Averett University rally to earn a Tuesday evening victory, 81-68.

The Quakers led the first 4:30 minutes, 13-6, before producing a 13-4 run to widen the lead past the mid-way point in the first half. With 2:15 left in the first period, Guilford claimed their largest lead of the contest, 26 points. The Cougars used 44.7 percent shooting in the second half to muster a rally, led by a 14-5 run early in the second half. The Quakers fought off the Cougars despite cooler shooting in the second frame, earning points from the foul line as both teams combined for 25 second-half foul shots compared to just 10 in the first frame. Guilford converted on 12 of their 14 shots at the foul line while Averett converted on 10 of their 11 attempts.

Jonny Rice led Guilford’s scorers with 16 points while adding six rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting while shooting 6-of-6 from the foul line. Trever Hyatt added 13 points in 16 minutes of play while Will Freeman came off the bench to contribute 12 points. Averett’s Trevor West led all scorers with 22 points while Bradley Robinson mustered a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Guilford won the rebounding battle, 42-39, edging the Cougars on the offensive glass, 19-18. Averett took advantage of second-chance points, earning the edge over the Quakers, 20-11.

Guilford valued the basketball, limiting themselves to nine turnovers while forcing 15 Cougar miscues, manufacturing those turnovers into 20 points. Averett produced 11 points off nine Quaker turnovers. Averett held the advantage in points-in-the-paint, 44-28, while the Quaker bench outscored the Averett reserves, 32-14.

The Quakers (4-1) return from the Thanksgiving Break Wednesday, Dec. 3rd, traveling to Methodist University for a 7 p.m. contest.