Guilford 90, Eastern Mennonite 80

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford College advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals for the second straight season Saturday with a 90-80 victory over league-rival Eastern Mennonite University. The Quakers (30-2) will play Williams College (29-1) Friday (3/19) at 5:00 p.m. the Salem (Va.) Civic Center.

Senior Tyler Sanborn scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to carry the Quakers (30-2) to their 11th straight victory. Teammate Clay Henson added 25 points as Guilford avenged one of its only two losses of the year, a 90-63 setback to the Royals in Greensboro Feb. 10.

The Royals' D.J. Hinson led all scorers with 37 points, 25 of which came in the first half.

Eastern Mennonite (25-5) held an early 19-12 lead thanks to five three-pointers in the game's opening 5:41. Henson rallied the Quakers back into contention with 14 of the contest's next 16 points, including three straight three-pointers. His three-pointer capped the Quakers' 14-2 run and gave the hosts a 25-21 edge with 11:19 left in the half.

Hinson's third of six first-half threes gave Eastern Mennonite a short-lived 27-25 edge midway through the half, but Guilford took a 36-29 edge with an 11-2 run over the next 3:36. Martin Stephenson scored six straight points during the Quakers' spurt. 

Guilford held Eastern Mennonite to four-of-14 shooting in the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 47-40 halftime lead. The Quakers shot 70.4 percent (19-27) in the first half on the way to a season-high 61.4% shooting effort.

Hinson came out firing again to start the second half and scored five quick points to pull Eastern Mennonite to within 51-45. The Quakers reeled off the next six points, however and held a double-digit lead for most of the second half. Sanborn had 12 points and 11 boards in the period and Henson scored 10 in the second half. The pair helped Guilford keep up with the Royals' George Johnson (14 second-half points) and Hinson (12 second-half points), which prevented Eastern Mennonite from drawing any closer than nine points.

Sanborn made 11-of-14 shots from the floor in his 29th double-double of the season. Henson knocked down four three-pointers and added three assists and four steals. Stephenson rounded out the Quakers' double-figure scorers with 13 points, matching his career high. T.C. Anderson was solid with five points, six rebounds a team-high five assists and two steals. Guilford shot a season-high 61.4% and enjoyed a 41-22 rebounding advantage.

Hinson made 13-of-22 field goals, including 8-of-16 from long range. He also had five boards, two assists and two steals. Johnson finished with 20 points thanks to six-of-14 three-point shooting. 

Guilford will sell tickets for the national semifinal game beginning Monday morning (3/15) at 10:00 a.m. in 101 Alumni Gym on Guilford's campus.

Newspaper Box Score
Eastern Mennonite vs Guilford
03/13/10 7:00 p.m. at Greensboro, NC - Ragan-Brown Field House
At Greensboro, NC - Ragan-Brown Field House
GUILFORD 90, EASTERN MENNONITE 80
EASTERN MENNONITE (25-5)
HINSON, D.J. 13-22 3-3 37; JOHNSON, George 6-15 2-2 20; PANCIONE, Orie 3-6
1-2 7; THORNE, Andrew 2-4 1-2 5; PHILLIPS, Todd 2-7 0-0 5; CRAWFORD, Eli 2-9
0-0 4; HOLLORAN, Luke 1-1 0-0 2; LONGACRE, Owen 0-0 0-0 0; LEAMAN, Jonathan
0-0 0-0 0; CHISNELL, Cutter 0-0 0-0 0; WHITE, Jesse 0-0 0-0 0; HARRISON,
Martin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-64 7-9 80.
GUILFORD (30-2)
SANBORN, Tyler 11-14 4-5 26; HENSON, Clay 10-22 1-2 25; STEPHENSON, Martin
6-6 1-2 13; BONNER, Rhett 2-7 4-4 9; MONROE, Brad 2-3 2-2 6; PITTMAN, Josh
2-3 1-2 6; ANDERSON, T.C. 2-2 0-1 5; AKINSOLA, Tobi 0-0 0-0 0; LOWDER,
Gabriel 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-57 13-18 90.
Eastern Mennonite.............   40   40  -   80
Guilford......................   47   43  -   90
3-point goals--Eastern Mennonite 15-38 (HINSON, D.J. 8-16; JOHNSON, George
6-14; PHILLIPS, Todd 1-4; CRAWFORD, Eli 0-2; THORNE, Andrew 0-1; PANCIONE,
Orie 0-1), Guilford 7-20 (HENSON, Clay 4-11; BONNER, Rhett 1-6; ANDERSON,
T.C. 1-1; PITTMAN, Josh 1-2). Fouled out--Eastern Mennonite-None,
Guilford-None. Rebounds--Eastern Mennonite 22 (CRAWFORD, Eli 6), Guilford 41
(SANBORN, Tyler 14). Assists--Eastern Mennonite 16 (JOHNSON, George 6),
Guilford 15 (ANDERSON, T.C. 5). Total fouls--Eastern Mennonite 18, Guilford
15. Technical fouls--Eastern Mennonite-None, Guilford-None. A-1650
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament - Sectional Final
Guilford advances to the NCAA Division III semifinals for the second straight
season.