Written by: Bryce Johnson, Director of Athletic Communications
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Zephaniah Jones got a chance, cashing in a jumper in a desperate attempt at the horn, but when the bodies pouring onto the court within the First Horizon Coliseum calmed and the dust settled, it was ruled to have been released too late as the No. 17 nationally ranked Guilford College men's basketball team survived against crosstown rival, Greensboro College, 59-58 on Wednesday night.
The dramatic victory is the sixth-in-a-row against the Pride, good for the Quakers' longest active winning streak against any non-conference opponent and improves them to 3-1. Greensboro, meanwhile, drops to 0-6 on the season thus far.
In normal situations, the Pride were great, but Guilford benefited greatly from cashing in on second-chance opportunities and points off turnovers, holding a 20-7 edge following an offensive rebound, and a 17-4 advantage after a takeaway. These extra opportunities led to a 20-shot disparity, and they needed nearly every one to come away with the win despite their worst shooting night of the season thus far, converting on just 30.9% of their shots including just 4-of-27 from three.
Nick Farrar (Apex, N.C.) posted the first double-double of his collegiate career, scoring ten of his team-leading 17 points in the second half, pairing it with a career-high 12 rebounds, including eight offensive, leading all players in caroms. Chase Ellis (Douglasville, Ga.) had the best night of his short time as a Quaker, scoring 15 points on 4-of-10 and 6-for-7 from the line. Gabe Proctor (Apex, N.C.) pitched in eight points with Luke Proctor (Apex, N.C.) and Caleb Furr (Warrenton, Va.) contributing seven apiece. Ellis, Farrar, and Gabe Proctor were tied for the team lead with three assists each.
Greensboro point guard, Isaiah Pruett, had a big night with game-highs of 23 points and five assists, making 7-of-16 along the way. Griffin Powell had 15 points and Grant Thompson notched a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 10 boards. DJ Jackson added seven, but the other six players who appeared for the Pride combined for just two points on nine shots.
The game remained within two possessions from wire-to-wire with neither offense able to do much in terms of extended success. Guilford opened the scoring with layups from Proctor and Ellis while the Pride had two misses and two turnovers over their first four possessions before getting on the board with a Jackson two. A couple at the stripe by Ellis preceded a 5-0 spurt on a Jones basket and a Powell trey, the first of five-straight featuring a lead-change. Down one at around the 12-minute mark, Greensboro got a 9-2 run by Pruett on his own to build their largest lead of the night at 18-12 just after the midway point.
Two more Ellis free throws, a triple from Proctor, and a three-pointer from Caleb Farrish (McLeansville, N.C.) put the Quakers in front briefly as we settled back into a seesaw pattern for a stretch with Jackson and Pruett knocking down treys to put the Pride up four with four-and-a-half left. Guilford responded with their best run of the night with Farrar getting two at the line, then Farrish getting two on the break off a Farrar block, and consecutive and-one's by Farrar and Furr giving the designated home team momentum into the locker room, leading 35-29.
Right out of the break, Greensboro posted an 8-2 stretch to even the score, but a Farrar two and a Luke Proctor turnaround jumper made it 41-37 with 15 to play. A Powell three cut it to one and the game would remain within one possession straight through the final horn. The stretch run would feature nine lead changes and four ties, the last of which was following a Gabe Proctor layup with 3:30 to play, as he also drew a foul, making his shot, putting the Quakers in front for good.
Guilford locked down defensively and a Farrar two gave them a sliver of breathing room with 65 seconds remaining. Thompson countered with a two with 50 seconds left before things got weird in the final seconds. With the ball and the chance to win it, the Pride drew a foul, although it was one the Quakers could give. A two would have won the game, but Pruett tried a three with five seconds to play. He missed and the rebound pinballed around before Gabe Proctor literally punched the ball out of the crowd to his brother Luke Proctor who caught it and got caught up in the moment a smidge, celebrating slightly prematurely, holding the ball for a couple skips as the horn sounded. The officials deemed he travelled first, however, adding 0.7 seconds to the clock and the Pride had a final gasp. Ultimately, they would have needed at least 0.8 seconds as Jones' shot was late and Guilford survived with the 59-58 win.
Victors now in 12-straight against USA South opponents over the last three years, the Quakers look to make it a baker's dozen when they host William Peace University in their final tuneup before Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play. They will play the Pacers on Tuesday, November 26th at 6:00 PM in the Ragan-Brown FieldHouse.
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