Second half run gives #7 Guilford victory over NCWC, 91-80

Rocky Mount, NC - The 7th-ranked Quakers of Guilford College handed host North Carolina Wesleyan its first home loss of the season, 91-80, on Saturday afternoon in Everett Gymnasium.  A tight game throughout the second half, the Bishops saw a late 11-0 run by Guilford put the game out of reach.  Quaker All-American Ben Strong led the way with 35 points and 12 rebounds to help Guilford move to 4-1 on the season.  NCWC is now 4-3 overall.

The Bishops came out on fire in the first half, racing out to a 9-2 lead in the first two minutes.  Defensively, Wesleyan created havoc for the Quakers over the next six minutes to take its biggest lead at 32-18 with 11:45 remaining in the period. 

The Bishops, however, would then go cold from the floor and endure a seven minute scoreless stretch. The offensive drought allowed the Quakers to mount a comeback, and a basket by Strong with just over five minutes left made the score 32-30.  The period would end with Wesleyan out-scoring Guilford 12-8 for a 44-38 halftime advantage.

The second half provided 13 lead changes and eight ties over the first 15 minutes of play.  Down 78-75, Wesleyan's Adam Coleman knocked down a jumper in the paint to pull the Bishops within one.  Unfortunately for Wesleyan, the Quakers answered with the aforementioned 11-0 run to go up 12 points, and the Bishops would not recover.

Both teams shot around 45 percent from the floor in the contest with the Bishops knocking down 13 three-pointers.  Guilford countered Wesleyan's performance outside with a 26-of-28 showing at the charity stripe.  The difference in the game came on the boards where the Quakers held a 52-27 advantage on the day.

In addition to Strong's performance, Clay Henson and Eric Belkoski chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively.  Tyler Sanborn turned in a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

For the Bishops, Lenny Hall and Trey Drake each netted 21 points, while Jarmel Arrington came off the bench to contribute 18.  Hall also dished out a game-high seven assists.

Next up for Wesleyan is the Randolph-Macon Briggs Elliot Classic in Ashland, VA on December 16th and 17th.  The Bishops will take on Muhlenberg College in first round action next Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
 

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