GREENSBORO, N.C. – Greg Montgomery scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to lift visiting Virginia Wesleyan College to an 84-66 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) basketball win Saturday afternoon.
The Marlins (5-1, 1-1 ODAC), who have won five straight from Guilford (5-2, 0-1 ODAC), are ranked seventh in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
Virginia Wesleyan used aggressive defense to force Guilford into 11 first-half turnovers and take a 41-32 halftime lead. It also pounded the glass for 12 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points.
The Marlins' lead grew to 14 points with 16:14 left in regulation on a Khory Moore three-pointer. The Quakers cut down on their turnovers in the second half, but could not maintain their 65% first-half field-goal shooting percentage. Still, they pulled to within 63-56 on a Matt McCarthy three-pointer with 7:19 left. The teams traded baskets for the next couple of minutes before Virginia Wesleyan clamped down and limited Guilford to two field goals in the final five minutes.
Montgomery notched his third double-double of the season with a game-high 14 rebounds, nine at the offensive end, which helped Virginia Wesleyan win the battle of the boards, 42-36. The Marlins ended up with 20 offensive rebounds, leading to 23 second-chance points. Moore, the reigning ODAC Rookie of the Year, was all over the place at both ends of the floor and posted 16 points, seven boards, four assists, four steals and a blocked shot. Brandon Mitchell matched his season high with 11 points off the bench for Virginia Wesleyan.
Jonny Rice led Guilford with 13 points on six-of-seven field-goal shooting, but played just 22 minutes before fouling out. Trever Hyatt added 11 points and Matt McCarthy finished with nine for the Quakers, who shot an uncharacteristic nine-for-20 from the free-throw line.
After a break for final exams, Guilford hosts North Carolina Wesleyan College Dec. 15 at 6:00 p.m. in a nonconference game.