News-Record.com

Guilford College hopes to replace Ben Strong with a balanced scoring attack, and it gave a perfect example of the new game plan with a dominating 77-56 win over the Greensboro Pride in the annual matchup of Greensboro's two Division III schools Wednesday night.

Rhett Bonner had a game-high 21 points and was one of three Quakers in double digits as the hosts avenged last season's loss to the Pride.

Bonner shot 9-of-11, including three 3-pointers, as he continually made Greensboro pay when it focused either on big man Tyler Sanborn or shooting guard Clay Henson.

"It felt good," Bonner said. "I shot the ball well. They trusted me to take some shots. I felt good taking them. Tonight was my night."

Shooting was the key for Guilford, which shot 53.3 percent from the field in the first half as it built a 36-23 halftime lead.

And while the Quakers were lighting up the nets, the Pride had trouble getting any offense started. Greensboro hit just 30.3 percent of its shots in the opening 20 minutes and only R.J. Smith and Michael McDuffie contributed much offensively.

The two guards went 7-for-12 in the first half, and the rest of the team hit just three of 21 shots. Smith had seven of the Pride's first nine points and the team struggled mightily when he went to the bench in the first half.

Greensboro coach Bryan Galuski said Smith had a shoulder injury. When he came back, the junior guard did not seem as aggressive as he had earlier, and there was no one else to step up.

Guilford (2-0) was able to control the inside game as center Tyler Sanborn excelled on both ends of the court. He had nine rebounds and four blocks in the first half and single-handedly made Greensboro a perimeter team.

On one possession for the Pride, Sanborn blocked back-to-back shots from point-blank range.

"If I'm going straight up with someone I feel like I'm a good shot blocker," Sanborn said. "That's one thing I think I do consistently well."

Turnovers did in Guilford in last year's matchup against Greensboro. This year the Quakers had 14 turnovers, the same amount as the Pride.

"A lot better than the 39 we had against Davidson and the 20 we had against Methodist," said Guilford coach Tom Palombo. "I think the real key for us this year is to dominate the boards and take care of the basketball. Valuing the ball is critical for us this season."

Even without Strong, the Quakers were able to control the backboards. They outrebounded the Pride by 14, 49-35, and had a 10-point advantage in second-chance points.

"I feel like the things we do in practice every day prepare us for what we have to do," said Sanborn of the team's rebounding edge. "We're very physical with our boxing out. Coach stresses every day that rebounding is the most important part of our game. We pride ourselves on that."

Smith, who scored 22 points in last year's win, led the Pride with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. But Smith's big night could not help Greensboro (0-3) break into the win column for the first time.

"We can only go up from here," Galuski said.

GREENSBORO (0-3)-- Smith 9-12 0-0 19, McDuffie 4-7 2-2 10, Porter 3-7 2-5 8, Mitchell 3-9 0-0 6, Nihart 1-3 0-0 3, Hatcher 1-4 0-0 2, Brady1-10 0-0 2, Perry 1-1 0-0 2, Tamini 1-2 0-1 2, Brown 1-3 0-0 2, Long 0-1 0-0 0, Simmons 0-4 0-0 0, Owenby 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-65 4-8 56.

GUILFORD (2-0) -- Bonner 9-11 0-1 21, Neville 7-14 0-0 14, Henson 5-16 0-0 12, Lowder 3-7 3-5 9, Sanborn 4-10 0-2 8, Stephenson 2-4 1-1 5, High 2-3 0-0 4, Cloyd 1-1 0-0 3, Engebretsen 0-2 1-2 1, Cooney 0-1 0-0 0, Alston 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-70 5-11 77.

Halftime--Guilford 36-23. 3-point goals--Greensboro 2-10 (Smith 1-2, Nihart 1-3, Porter 0-1, Hatcher 0-1, Simmons 0-2, McDuffie0-1), Guilford 6-14 (Bonner 3-5, Henson 2-6, Cloyd 1-1, Engebretsen 0-1, Alston 0-1). Rebounds--Greensboro 35 (Brown 7), Guilford 49 (Sanborn 13). Assists--Greensboro 8 (Smith 2), Guilford 14 (Henson 3, Lowder 3). Total fouls--Greensboro 17, Guilford 15. A-1,010.