Maddox Leads Pride Men Past Randolph In Home Opener
Courtesy of Wes Gullett, Greensboro College SID who wishes everyone a Cheerful Cheerwine this Holiday Season/Basketball Season…
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Darus Maddox scored a career-high 13 points as the Greensboro College men’s basketball team defeated the Wildcats of Randolph College Tuesday, 73-64.
The two teams traded the lead back and forth over the first five minutes until the Wildcats (1-3) used an 8-0 run to establish a 24-16 lead.
Following the Randolph run, Greensboro (1-1) came storming back with a 10-0 run of their own to take a 26-24 lead, with 4:47 showing on the first half clock. Alvin Cunningham Jr. got the run started with an old fashion three-point play before Donavan Griffith(Northeast Guilford HS) connected on two free throw attempts. Joseph Gatling then capped off the run with five straight points.
Despite Greensboro holding the momentum following the run, Randolph closed the half on a 14-3 run to take a 38-29 halftime lead.
“We had a tough first half offensively,” Head Coach Bryan Galuski said. “We also did not do a great job defensively so we had to do a better job of playing our game on both ends of the court in the second half.”
After the Wildcats extended their lead to 12 in the early minutes of the second half, Greensboro used a 17-7 run over the next seven minutes to pull even at 46. Maddox connected on two big three-pointers to spark the run, while Hamilton Hawkins also found the scoring column.
“I was able to overcome a little bit of nervousness as it came down the stretch,” Maddox said. “My teammates did a great job keeping my confidence up, and we defiantly showed a lot of trust in each other as we fought our way back into the game.”
The next seven minutes of play saw four ties and three lead changes.
Greensboro then took control of the game following a 6-0 run, gaining a 66-60 lead.
Over the final five minutes, Greensboro did not allow Randolph to get any closer than four points, holding on for the nine-point victory.
“We did not have a good week of practice, but the past 48 hours were good as we did some soul searching as a team,” Galuski added. “The guys did a much better job in the second half are showing signs of coming together as a team, even though we didn’t show it for the full forty minutes tonight.
“I am really excited that we were able to pull out the victory.”
Lorenzo Marry and Griffith joined Maddox in double figures with 12 points each, while Cunningham Jr. finished with 11 points. Greensboro out rebounded the Wildcats 44-36, while forcing 18 turnovers.
The Pride men will return to action at 2 p.m. Sunday when they travel to St. Mary’s College of Maryland. For more information on Greensboro College men’s basketball, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.