GREENSBORO, N.C. – Finalizing their non-conference slate of games for the 2024-25 regular season, the nationally receiving votes Guilford College men's basketball team benefited from 23 points by Nick Farrar (Apex, N.C.) to get past the University of Mary Washington, 72-59, on Wednesday night on Jack Jensen Court inside the Ragan-Brown FieldHouse.
The Quakers close with a 7-2 record beyond league play making it the third-straight regular season in which they have finished with that many wins outside of Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action. Additionally, they clinched a winning record overall for the regular season, as they improved to 13-4. Much better than their 7-10 record would indicate, the Eagles drop their third-straight.
Guilford finished by knocking down better than half of their shots, shooting an even 52% on the night and 36.4% from range. All the while they held UMW to 35.6% from the field and 29.6% from deep.
Farrar looked like a man on a mission over just 18 minutes of game action, posting arguably his most complete performance since the calendar changed to 2025. He scored his 23 points on 9-for-14 from the field adding seven rebounds, three of them on the offensive end, and an assist for Guilford. Gabe Proctor (Apex, N.C.) started hot from range, making 4-of-7 from deep on his way to 16 points to pair with a team-high four assists. Chase Ellis (Douglasville, Ga.) pitched in ten points and Luke Proctor (Apex, N.C.) finished tied for the game-high for rebounds, with eight, adding nine points, a block, and a steal.
Exploding out of the gates, Jadon Burgess led the Eagles with 14 points on 5-of-11 from the field and 4-of-10 from range. Jay Randall contributed 12 in addition to a team-leading eight boards, five of them on the offensive end. Kye Robinson finished with 11 tallies although he needed ten shots to get there and Zack Blue dished a game-high five assists.
Early in the game, Jack Jensen Court looked more like a shooting gallery at a carnival that a basketball venue as the opposing factions let it fly early, and often. Seven of the game's first ten made baskets were from distance with Gabe Proctor and Burgess contributing three of those each and Bobby Samples (Brighton, Mich.) adding another ahead of the first media timeout to make the score 17-13. A quick 4-0 run by the Eagles via a free throw by Robinson and a three from Blue evened things at 17 and the contest would remain a one-possession game through the under-seven with GC holding the edge, 24-22.
A Dawson Edwards (Durham, N.C.) steal preceded a Farrar layup out of the break, igniting a stretch of seven scoring possessions combined in the span of nine trips down the floor between the two squads as Guilford subtly extended a 35-28 edge, their largest of the half. A triple by Jose Fudd and a pair at the charity stripe by Jay Randall quickly reigned things in for the guests although layups by Farrar and Caleb Farrish (McLeansville, N.C.) outdid a make by Cam Jones making the score advantage Quakers at 39-35 at the half.
The Eagles just continued to hang around through the first ten minutes of the second half. They never took the lead in that span, but also never allowed GC to get out of an arm's length at two possessions. Down 54-50 with 9:26 remaining, they had a breakthrough with Cameron McCravy splitting a pair of free throws, Jones making a two and Robinson finishing a runner and all of a sudden, the Quakers trailed for the first time since the 13-minute mark of the first half.
Mary Washington's momentum was short-lived however, as that basket immediately preceded the under-seven media timeout and Gabe Proctor cashed in with a big-time three right out of it to reclaim the lead. Farrar made a two after that and the Eagles would never get in front again. They hung around for a while but with four to play, Farrar made two at the line, Luke Proctor picked off a pass and finished a layup, Gabe Proctor got a scoop layup to fall, and Farrish, passive all night after his career-game on Saturday, threw down consecutive slams off Gabe Proctor feeds to ice things and finalize the score at 72-59.
It will be ODAC basketball the rest of the way for Guilford who will first host Shenandoah University on Saturday afternoon beginning at 3:00 PM in the Ragan-Brown FieldHouse.
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