The Guilford College men's basketball team finished off their three-game homestand, looking to bounce back after a tough loss last Saturday. Virginia Wesleyan came to Jack Jensen Court on Wednesday night and the Quakers immediately got back to winning ways, besting the Marlins 77-44. 

Tonight's victory was a record-setter for coach Tom Palombo. Tonight's win brought him to 387, surpassing the great Jack Jensen in all-time wins at Guilford College. 

The first few minutes of the contest were all GC (15-2, 6-2), going on a 12-5 run to take an early lead (14-5). Tyler Dearman was hot early, scoring five of his team-high 16 points in the first half. VWU (15-4, 5-4) directly replied, closing the gap to as close as a point at the 11-minute mark. From then on, the Quakers dominated for the remainder of the period. 

A three-pointer by the visitors kept them within distance of the home side with 7:07 left to play (25-21), but Guilford's offense caught fire, especially from beyond the arc. In the last seven minutes of play, GC rode a 15-6 run to take a commanding 40-24 lead at the first half buzzer. 

Along with Coach Palombo setting a Guilford record, Dearman made his way to the top of an all-time category. At the 2:35 mark in the first period, a steal from the graduate student guard brought his all-time tally to 184, surpassing the great Tim Beckwith (1987-90). 

The Quakers had one of their best offensive halves this season in the second, overall making 50% of its field goals (14-28), including six of 11 made threes. The Marlins were outmatched in the period with the home defense limiting any momentum. Overall, VWU made just seven out of a possible 28 shots in the half, as Guilford won by a convincing margin, 77-44. 

Four Quakers scored in double digits on the record-setting night, including leading all-time steal holder Dearman, with 19 points and two steals, now at 185 in his illustrious Guilford career. Luke Proctor was perfect from beyond the arc, making two threes to go along with 13 points, along with a season-high eight rebounds. Gabe Proctor scored 12 with a trio of long-shot makes, and Julius Burch tallied the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. 

As a team, GC had their best three-point performance by percentage this season, shooting 50% (11-22). Guilford crashed the paint effectively, to the tune of 41 rebounds compared to Virginia Wesleyan's 25. 

Next up, the Quakers make the trip to Lexington, Virginia for a road conference matchup versus the Generals of Washington and Lee. Tip off on Saturday, January 20 is set for 2 p.m.