HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – Ben Jessee scored 18 points in Hampden-Sydney College's seventh straight win, a 73-61 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) decision over visiting Guilford College Wednesday. The loss ends the Quakers' (16-8, 10-5 ODAC) four-game winning streak and drops their road record to 6-6.
Jessee had 11 points and three three-pointers by halftime, which helped the Tigers (16-8, 8-7 ODAC) open a 35-23 halftime lead. Teammate Randall Ward added 10 points in the opening half, which saw the Tigers make six of their 11 three-pointers on the night.
Martin Stephenson's layup with 6:22 left before halftime gave the Quakers a 17-15 edge, but it was Guilford's final bucket until Josh Pittman's three-pointer with 11 seconds left in the half. With the Quakers' offense sputtering, Hampden-Sydney drained four three-pointers during a 20-2 run that opened a 16-point lead before Pittman's basket settled the halftime score.
Pittman, who scored a game-high 24 points for Guilford, tried to rally the Quakers in the second half. His three-pointer 7:41 into period brought Guilford to within 45-42, but Sasha Obradovic and Jessee answered with trifectas for the Tigers, which restored a nine-point edge. The Quakers pulled no closer than 10 points in the game's final 10 minutes as Hampden-Sydney made 50 percent of its second-half field goals.
Sophomore forward Harrison George, a top ODAC Player of the Year candidate, scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half and finished with nine boards, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes. Ru White chipped in 13 points and Ward added 12, plus four assists. The Tigers shot 49 percent from the floor, the highest percentage by a Guilford opponent this season. They also made all 12 free throws in the game and outrebounded the Quakers, 34-28.
Tobi Akinsola contributed 10 points and six rebounds for Guilford. Teammate Brad Monroe (Asheboro, N.C./Eastern Randolph) tallied eight points and 12 rebounds, a career- and game-high total.
The Quakers close out the regular season at home Saturday versus league-rival Eastern Mennonite University, which is ranked 14th in this week's D3hoops.com Poll.