Greensboro, NC -- Senior guard Brad Dunleavy (Roanoke, VA/William Fleming) scored a game-high 24 points to lead Roanoke to a 96-71 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men's basketball victory over Guilford Saturday. The Maroons (18-5, 13-4 ODAC) won for the sixth straight game and 19th straight over Guilford (9-14, 8-9 ODAC).
Dunleavy scored 11 of Roanoke's first 16 points and helped the Maroons to a 40-26 halftime lead. A 20-5 Roanoke run over six minutes late in the first half broke open a seven-point game. Roanoke senior Jason Strickland (Roanoke, VA/Covenant) scored all eight of his first-half points during the Maroons spurt. Dunleavy had 15 points at halftime.
Two Aron McMillian (Greensboro, NC/Greensboro Day) free throws drew Guilford to within 40-28 15 seconds into the second half, but the Quakers drew no closer the rest of the way. Dunleavy scored seven points and the Maroons held Guilford to one field goal over the first 8:10 of the second half during a 20-4 run. Two Dunleavy free throws capped the run with 12:00 left and gave the Maroons a 60-28 lead. The margin grew to as many as 34 points before Guilford's reserves outscored Roanoke's bench in the waning moments.
Strickland finished with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals in Roanoke's highest-scoring game of the season. Senior Ben Halterman (Fort Defiance, VA/Fort Defiance) added 10 points and two three-point goals off the bench. Senior forward Colby Leftwich (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) scored eight points and led Roanoke with six boards and four steals. The Maroons shot over 56 percent from the floor and converted 20 Guilford turnovers into 29 points for their 14th win in 16 games.
Freshman forward Thomas Swindell (High Point, NC/Southwest Guilford) led the Quakers with 12 points off the bench. Todd Ashworth (High Point, NC/Southwest Guilford), one of three seniors making their final home appearance, notched his second double double of the year with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Paul Kindem (Chapel Hill, NC/East Chapel Hill) added 11 points and seven boards off the bench.
Guilford senior point guard Jaron Randall (Trenton, NJ/Princeton Day) played just under a minute in his last home game due to a preexisting knee injury. The Quakers also missed starting forward Brad Woolley (Chapel Hill, NC/East Chapel Hill) and his backup, freshman Jevon Clarke (Apex, NC/Southeast Raleigh), who are also out with knee injuries.
Guilford tries to end a season-long four-game losing streak this Monday night (2/12) in its regular-season finale at league-rival Emory & Henry. A Quakers' win clinches a school-record nine ODAC triumphs. The Maroons close the regular season Tuesday night (2/13) versus visiting Eastern Mennonite at 7:00 P.M.
The ODAC Tournament begins next Saturday (2/17) in the Salem (VA) Civic Center. Roanoke is the defending tournament champion.
