Guilford College tops Greensboro College 68-63 in men’s basketball:Wes Gullett Reports on Pride/Bryan Jones on Quakers

Cold Second Half Shooting Dooms Pride Men Against Guilford
Greensboro College SID Wes Gullett from courtside reporting for the Pride….

GREENSBORO, N.C. -Despite a game-high 20 points by Donavan Griffith, the Greensboro College men’s basketball team (0-2) fell to Guilford College Tuesday 68-63.

The Pride led for most of the first half of play. They established their largest lead at 35-22 following a 13-5 run than stretched over four minutes of play. During the run, Hamilton Hawks and Griffith combined for eight of the points.

Once Greensboro established the 13 point lead, Guilford closed out the half on a 14-5 run of their own to cut the Pride advantage down to four at 40-36.

The Pride then maintained their lead until the Quakers climbed in front 48-46 with just over 13 minutes left to play.

Greensboro was able to battle their way to take a 57-56 lead following a Pairs Scales tip-in, but Guilford was able to capitalize on their opportunities down the stretch to secure the win.

“I thought that we started the game really well,” Head Coach Bryan Galuski said. “We were able to score the ball early. However, when you struggle shooting down the stretch like we did today, it is going be really difficult to win ball games especially on the road.

“We have to come back to practice with a positive mentality. Our non-conference schedule is really difficult, but we have to find the positives from this game and apply them to the rest of the season.”

Griffith completed his double double performance by also recording a team-high 15 rebounds to go along with five blocks. Simeon Howard also recorded a double double with ten points and ten boards. Trevin Miller finished the day with 12 points.

Trevor Mayo led the Quakers in scoring with 18 points, while Will Freeman recorded 16 points.

The Pride men’s basketball team will once again return to the Guilford campus Friday to take on Cabrini College at 5 p.m. in their first game of the Guilford College Invitational. For more information on the Greensboro College men’s basketball team, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.

College Men’s Basketball Final – Guilford 68, Greensboro 63
Courtesy of Bryan Jones courtside with the Guilford College Quakers…

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Trevor Mayo’s (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day) three-pointer as the shot clock expired with 1:13 left in Tuesday evening’s contest broke a 60-60 tie, leading the host Quakers to victory over cross-town rival Greensboro College, 68-63, in the Quakers’ opening regular-season contest.

A back-and-forth first half turned in Greensboro’s favor near the middle of the period as the Pride produced a 10-0 run to grow their lead to 12 points. Greensboro produced their largest lead of the contest, 13 points, with 5:21 left in the half thanks to a seven-of-12 effort from beyond the arc. Guilford closed the first half on a 14-5 run to shrink Greensboro’s lead to four entering the locker room. The Pride only made five field goals inside three-point range throughout the period as they relied on the three-point shot.

The Quakers erased the lead in the second half with 13:42 left as the remained close throughout most of the remainder of the half. The stretch included a stalemate that lasted 2:42 from the 6:08 mark to 3:26 left in the period where both defenses held the other side in check. The Pride’s jump-shooting cooled off, only hitting one three-point basket the entire period while shooting 21.9 percent for the half with only seven field goals. The Quakers bounced back in the period to shoot 41.4 percent and hit three baskets from beyond the arc, including Mayo’s three-pointer with 1:13 left. Jarrod Rogers’ five free throws in the final minute held off Greensboro as they attempted to narrow the margin in the closing seconds.

Mayo led the Quakers in his first regular-season collegiate contest with 18 points on eight-of-13 shooting while pulling down six rebounds. Will Freeman was the remaining Quaker in double-figure scoring with 16 points on six-of-13 shooting. Zach Houston led the charge on the glass with nine rebounds while Alston Thompson came off the bench to add seven points and six rebounds.

Greensboro’s Donavan Griffith led all scorers with 20 points and amassed 15 rebounds to complete the double-double while adding five blocks. Simeon Howard also posted a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds.

Guilford out-rebounded the Pride, 46-42, as the Quakers overcame the Pride on the offensive glass, 17-11. The Quakers converted 13 second-chance points while the Pride produced eight points off the offensive glass.

The Quakers shot 36.8 percent from the field, boosted by their second-half shooting effort. Greensboro’s second-half shooting shrunk their field goal percentage for the contest to 32.2. The Quakers shot three-of-14 from beyond the arc while Greensboro shot eight-of-26 from three-point range.

Guilford used the inside game at will on the Pride, holding a large 42-13 advantage in the paint and kept the Greensboro fast break in check, claiming the edge, 8-0.

The Quakers return to the court Friday, opening the Guilford College Invitational Friday with a 7 p.m. contest with St. Mary’s College of Maryland inside Ragan-Brown Field House.