Men's Basketball Falls to Guilford, 98-45

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College men's basketball team cruised to a 98-45 victory over visiting Bridgewater State University on Thursday afternoon at the Guilford Holiday Classic.

The Quakers, who received votes in the most recent D3hoops.com poll, improve to 9-2 on the season, while the Bears fall to 9-2.

Guilford led from start to finish. The Quakers connected on seven of their first eight shots, including a trio of three-pointers from senior guard Jorden Davis (Durham, N.C.) and two by senior guard Tyler Dearman (Greensboro, N.C.), to open up a 19-10 lead. Guilford got up by as many as 23 points (42-19) in the first half before a 15-4 BSU run to close out the stanza made it a 12-points game (46-34) at the break. Senior guard Precious Okoh (Brockton, Mass.) started the run with a three-pointer and a layup, while junior guard Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.) connected for a pair of three-pointers including a four-point play.

Guilford scored the first 12 points of the second half to extend the lead to 58-34. Dearman accounted for seven of the 12 points on a three-pointer and a pair of jumpers. After a Bridgewater basket, the Quakers outscored the Bears 28-1 over the next eight minutes, highlighted by four trifectas from freshman guard Gabe Proctor (Apex, N.C.), to put the game well out of reach. The Quakers would get up by as many as 53 points twice in the second half including the final score of 98-45.

Dearman finished with a game-high 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting including 3-for-8 from behind the arc. He also added six rebounds and four assists. Davis checked in with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Davis went 4-for-7 from three-point range and 4-for-4 at the free throw line.

Proctor and senior forward Myles Washington (Charlotte, N.C.) rounded out the Quakers' double-digit point producers. Proctor produced 14 points on 4 of 7 shooting from behind the arc to go along with seven rebounds and a pair of assists, while Washington tallied 14 points and three boards.

Graduate center Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.) posted a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds to lead the way for Bridgewater State. Halbleib went 5-for-6 from the floor and recorded a pair of blocked shots. The double-double marked Halbleib's team-leading sixth of the season. Parsons added nine points for the Bears, while Okoh finished with eight points and freshman guard Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) contributed seven points and three assists.

The Quakers shot 50% (37-74) from the floor, 54.8% (17-31) from three-point range and 70% (7-10) at the free throw line.

The Bears connected on just 29.8% (17-57) of their field goal attempts, including 7-for-26 (26.9%) from behind the arc, and went 4-for-11 (36.4%) at the charity stripe.

Guilford held a 48-32 rebounding advantage with a 13-8 edge on the offensive glass. The Quaker defense also forced 22 turnovers which led to a 36-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Guilford Holiday Classic continues on Friday. The Quakers take on Centre College at three o'clock, while the Bears battle Greensboro College at five.