College Men’s Basketball Final – Guilford 70, Randolph 62

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jaylen Gore scored a game- and career-high 18 points to lead Guilford College past visiting Randolph College, 70-62, Wednesday in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference basketball game. The defensive struggle saw seven ties and five lead changes, mostly in the first half. Neither team shot better than 37.3 percent from the floor.

The Quakers improved to 9-4 (3-1 ODAC) with their sixth straight win. The WildCats dropped to 6-7 (1-3 ODAC).

Gore had 13 by halftime, which helped the Quakers to a 37-28 lead. Guilford grew the margin to 47-37 with 11 minutes left in regulation on a Carson Long basket, but Randolph rallied. Two Tremaine Pugh free throws with 6:28 remaining capped a 14-4 Randolph run and tied the game at 53-53.

Timely baskets and solid defensive play aided the Quakers down the stretch. Two more Curry free throws and a Kyler Gregory layup restored a 64-58 Guilford lead with 2:46 left. Randolph made it a two-point game with 67 seconds remaining on two Drew Hayden free throws, but Gore’s three-pointer at the other end sealed the win.

Curry tallied 12 of his 14 points in the second half, including six-of-seven free throws. Gregory also scored 14 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. The pair did a lot of work inside and helped the Quakers to a 36-24 edge in interior scoring. Rookie Liam Ward scored six points and grabbed nine boards. Gore collected eight rebounds, and had four assists with two turnovers in 34 minutes of work.

Randolph’s Sammy Hooper was the lone Wildcat in double-figure scoring with 18 points on a six-for-21 shooting night. He and Justin Dula (7 points) shared team-high honors with eight rebounds apiece. Brian Smith scored eight points, dished out a game-high eight assists, and added two steals. C.J. Loving netted nine points for Randolph.

Coach Tom Palombo’s Quakers host Randolph-Macon College Saturday (1/5) afternoon in a 3:00 p.m. ODAC game.

Photos by Andy Gore
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