 Men's Basketball |
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December 30, 2006 FAYETTEVILLE, NC- At the end of regulation it was hard to believe the Monarchs had been losing by as many as 17 in the first half. Methodist shook things off and battled back to send the game into double overtime. Guilford started strong and finished strong opening the second overtime on a 9-0 run to seal the deal and win their eighth straight. The Monarchs move to 4-3 on the season while Guilford stands at 8-0. Guilford opened the game with a 6-0 run while the Monarchs missed their first two possessions before senior Dragan Radmanovic put them on the board with a layup at 16:47. Methodist struggled early and the Quakers went up 30-13 with a layup by junior Ben Strong with less than eight minutes in the half. Strong dominated in the paint for Guilford finishing the game with 41 points and 17 rebounds. The Monarchs battled back to move within six at halftime off of a jumper by freshman Adrian Bascom. Guilford came out shooting in the second half leading 46-35 with less than sixteen minutes remaining. The Monarchs kept fighting and their shots started to fall. The team shot 60% from the floor in the second half to outscore the Quakers 49-43 during the period. Both Radmanovic and sophomore AB Lehmann sank four 3-pointers on the day, but none were as big as Lehmann's buzzer beater to tie the game 80-80 at the end of regulation. Junior Caleb Kimbrough missed his second free through attempt for Radmanovic to grab the rebound and Lehmann to find a hole to hit his shot, all within the final six seconds. The two teams exchanged baskets during the first overtime. The Monarchs were up 89-87 with less than a minute to go when former Methodist player and now Guilford senior Jordan Snipes stole the ball and hit a jumper to tie the game at 89 with 35 seconds remaining. The Monarchs had another possession to try to win it, but Lehmann's shot fell short and the teams prepared for their second overtime. The Quakers' 9-0 run to start the period left the Monarchs struggling to climb back into it. Guilford shot 69% in both overtimes compared to Methodist's 37%. Freshman Darrian Anderson scored a layup at the buzzer for the Monarchs, but Guilford won 108-102. The Monarchs had four players finish in double figures, with all four setting individual season highs. Radmanovic had 27 points, Lehmann finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds while Bascom had 16 points and freshman Bryan Pittman had 10. The Monarchs took care of the basketball with a season-low 12 turnovers. In addition to Strong's 41 points for the Quakers, Kimbrough had 19 while junior Eric Belkoski had 17 and senior Thomas Burge scored 10 points. The Monarchs will host the defending NCAA Division III Champion Virginia Wesleyan Marlins Wednesday, January 3 at 3 pm in the March F. Riddle Center. |
