Box Score SALEM, VA--The Roanoke College men's basketball team moved into sole possession of fifth place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference standings with an 80-71 victory over Guilford College on Saturday evening in Salem, VA. The Maroons, who sweep the season series with the Quakers, improve to 15-9 overall and 9-8 in the ODAC. The Quakers fall to 13-11 overall and 8-9 in the conference.
The Maroons got off to a sluggish start in Saturday's win, making just one of their first 10 shots from the field. Those miscues allowed the Quakers to jump out to as much as a six-point lead in the first half. The Quakers scored the first six points of the game and then held a 10-4 lead six minutes in. Roanoke freshman
Keith Carter (Roanoke, VA/Northside) cut that lead in half with a three-pointer from the corner and moments later Roanoke sophomore
Tee Jackson (Galax, VA/Carroll Co.) hit a three from the wing to even the score at 10. Forty seconds after the Jackson three, the Maroons took the lead for the first time on a
Ben Shrader (Tazewell, VA/Mercer Christian) jumper.
Guilford junior center Genaro Lawhorn made a layup in the paint with 7:46 to play in the half to put the Quakers up by a slim 16-15 margin. Roanoke freshman
Josh LaPorte (Staunton, VA/Riverheads) answered back with a jumper to again give Roanoke the lead, a lead they would not give up. LaPorte's basket sparked a 15-0 Roanoke run that saw them take a 30-16 lead with 4:07 remaining. Sophomore
Ben Lawler (Abingdon, VA/Abingdon) scored six points in the run which was capped by a
Jared Butler (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) layup.
Trailing by 14 points, the Quakers ended the half on a 16-4 scoring run of their own to trim Roanoke's lead to just two at the break. Freshman Kerry Atkinson scored eight consecutive points for the Quakers and with a jumper with 1:17 left made the score 32-28. The Maroons appeared to have a four-point lead heading into the break, but Guilford's Jamel Taylor hit a second chance jumper at the buzzer to make the score 32-30.
In the second half, the Maroons got their lead out to as many as nine points, that at 53-44 with 13:10 to play. Again the Quakers made a run, cutting the Maroon lead to just one 53-52 with 11:08 left. Atkinson hit a three-pointer with his team down by four to bring the visitors to within one.
Kevinn Hunter (Dale City, VA/Gar-Field) and Lawler each scored points in the paint to push Roanoke's lead back out to five. Later in the half, the Quakers got to within two points, 59-57, but Carter hit a three from the top of the key to give the Maroons a 62-57 edge. Guilford would get no closer than three points the rest of the way. The Maroons made eight free throws in the final five minutes to help seal the win.
For the second time in three games, the Maroons had six players score in double-figures. Jackson led the way with 13, while Carter, Shrader, and Butler all scored 12. Shrader got 10 of his 12 in the second half, six coming on the only two three-pointers he took in the game. Hunter finished with 11 for Roanoke, getting 10 in the second half. LaPorte led the Maroons with nine rebounds.
Atkinson and Lawhorn led the way with 14 points apiece for the Quakers. Lawhorn got six of his 14 points in the first half, while nine of Atkinson's total points came in the opening half of play.
The Maroons close out their regular season schedule on Tuesday in a road game against the Wasps of Emory & Henry College. The ODAC contests begins at 7:00pm in Emory, VA.
Roanoke vs. Guilford Box Score
