Box Score Greensboro, N.C. (2/7/07) -- Junior forward Eric Belkoski made all six three-pointers and scored a career-high 21 points in Guilford's 86-72 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) basketball win over visiting Hampden-Sydney Wednesday night.
The Quakers (17-3, 11-3 ODAC), ranked 24th in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, won for the sixth time in seven games and swept the season series from the Tigers (12-9, 7-7 ODAC) for the first time in school history. Guilford's 17 wins mark its most since the 1979-80 squad won 20 games. Its 11 ODAC wins represent an all-time high.
Belkoski knocked down four first-half three-pointers, which helped the Quakers open a 48-35 halftime lead. With Guilford holding a 19-18 edge midway through the period, Belkoski knocked down three trifectas in the next seven minutes during a 24-7 Quakers' run. Justin Strickland and Thomas Burge also hit from long range during the spurt. All told, the Quakers made seven-of-12 (58.3%) first-half three-pointers and shot 56.7 percent from the floor overall. Hampden-Sydney managed only 29 percent field-goal shooting in the opening half, two-for-12 from three-point land.
Belkoski and the Quakers' hot shooting continued into the second period as Guilford opened a 26-point edge with 10:46 left in the game. Both teams substituted liberally in the final minutes. Hampden-Sydney's reserves outscored their Guilford counterparts, 14-4, in the final 3:35.
Guilford junior center Ben Strong, the ODAC's scoring and rebounding leader, led all scorers with 22 points. He made nine-of-14 field goals and added nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Belkoski, who made seven-of-nine shots, added a game- and personal-best 10 rebounds for his second career double-double. Senior guard Jordan Snipes added 11 points to move within three points of 1,000 for his career. Freshman center Tyler Sanborn contributed six points and eight rebounds, both career highs, off the bench.
Rookie guard Turner King led the Tigers with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench. The Tigers' reserves outscored Guilford, 40-27. Senior guard Mike Edwards added 10 points and three steals. Hampden-Sydney, which entered the game with the ODAC's second-best three-point field-goal percentage (.376), managed only seven-of-28 (28%) shooting from beyond the arc.
Guilford returns to action Saturday (2/10) at league-rival Bridgewater at 6:00 p.m. The Tigers visit Washington and Lee Saturday in a 2:00 p.m. ODAC game.