Greensboro College Athletics Update for 1/25/16 from SID Wes Gullett:Men’s and Women’s Hoops both top LaGrange

Pride Women Pull Away For Victory Over LaGrange

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro College women’s basketball team used a strong second half to top the Panthers of LaGrange College Monday, 63-55, in a USA South Athletic Conference showdown.

LaGrange (10-6, 4-3 USA South) took an early 4-0 lead before Alexis Hite and Jada Peterson sparked a 5-0 run to put the Pride (9-6, 5-1 USA South) on top by one.

After trading baskets, the Panthers held a 15-12 lead before Hite tied the game with a three-pointer as time expired in the first period.

Over the first five minutes of the second period, LaGrange outscored Greensboro College 9-3 to take a 24-18 lead before heading into the intermission up 33-27.

“I told the team at the half that we were still in the game,” Head Coach Randy Tuggle said. “We were lucky to only be down by six, but that is why we play two halves of basketball.”

Following the intermission, , the Panthers held on to their narrow advantage until the Pride used an 8-0 run to take a 50-46 lead. Shamara Richardson, Heather Burton, Kamerin Williams, and Hite each tallied two points during the run.

Greensboro then stretched its lead to 57-51 midway through the fourth period following a 5-0 run. Marla Crawford, who had eight of her 13 points in the second half, started the run for Greensboro before Monica Smalls capped it with a free throw.

Greensboro converted on all four of its free-throw attempts in the final minute to secure the victory.

“We did a great job of moving the ball around tonight to find the open shot,” Tuggle said. “As we go through practice the rest of this week, we have got to continue working on the things that we addressed from Day 1 of practice. When we work together as a team, we can win as a team. The bottom line is we have to continue working on ourselves every day. “

Hite finished with a team-high 17 points, Marla Crawford with 13 points. Williams pulled down a team-leading nine rebounds. Courtney Pearsall, who earned the USA South Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honor Monday, finished with four points and six rebounds.

Marilaurn Farr led the Panthers with 14 points, while Madison Barker finished with 10 points.

The Pride women will return to action at 5:30 p.m. Friday when they travel to take on the Scots of Covenant College. For more information on Greensboro College women’s basketball, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.

Men’s Basketball Tops LaGrange In Conference Showdown

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Parris Scales and Simeon Howard each tallied a double double as the Pride men’s basketball team topped the Panthers of LaGrange College Monday, 81-78.

With the Pride (10-7, 4-2 USA South) trailing just five minutes into the game, Greensboro established an 14-8 lead following a 9-0 run. Zedric Barnett started the run with a three-pointer before Howard recorded five points, while Donavan Griffith capped off the spurt with his first basket.

The Panthers (13-4, 4-2 USA South) then doubled up Greensboro over the next four minutes to take a 22-21 lead.

LaGrange then established its largest lead of the half at 30-25 before going into the intermission with a 37-36 lead.

“We told the guys that they needed to do a better job rebounding and defending in the second half if we were going to win,” Associate Head Coach Jim Cantamessa said.

Greensboro took the half-time message to heart as it opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 46-39 lead. The Pride out rebounded LaGrange 4-0 during the run, with three of the rebounds resulting in six second-chance points.

The Panthers battled back to take their final lead of the game at 60-59 before the Pride quickly jumped back out in front by two on a Howard three-pointer.

Greensboro established its largest lead of the contest at 76-68 before winning 81-78.

“If we get consistent play from the nine guys that played tonight, we can continue to win,” said Cantamessa. “There were times in the game that we had to grind it out, but the guys were able to pull it out with a good team effort.

“We have to keep working hard with improving our defensive intensity and offensive efficiency as we continue on throughout the rest of the season.”

Howard finished with a team-high 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Scales contributed 18 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Joseph Gatling finished with 18 points as well after leading the Pride at the break with 12 points. Christopher Corbin dished out a team-high four assists, while Griffith and Gatling each had three.

The Pride out rebounded the Panthers 45-40 and cashed in 11 points on nine LaGrange turnovers. Greensboro shot 48 percent from the field in the second half after shooting only 46 percent in the first half.

Justyn Olson paced the Panthers with a team-high 15 points, while Mark Wagner and Elijah Adedoyin each finished with 14 points. Wagner pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

The Pride men will return to action Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they travel to take on the Scots of Covenant College. For more information on Greensboro College men’s basketball, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.