GREENSBORO, N.C. - Courtney McMillan (Lexington, N.C.) and
Markayla Massenburg (Raleigh, N.C.) were the front-runners for the Quakers as the Guilford College women's basketball team (14-9, 8-6 ODAC) tamed the Cougars of Averett University (3-20, 1-13) 78-53 on Jack Jensen Court in the Ragan-Brown Field House on Wednesday evening. With this victory, it secured GC's 18th consecutive win against AU in their series.
The Quakers, with the win combined with a Hollins defeat to Roanoke elsewhere in ODAC action, clinch a conference tournament berth for the 16th consecutive season entering the final week-and-a-half of the campaign and will jockey for seeding for the remainder of the regular season.
A superstar for the team in white was McMillan with game-high and season-high of 24 points, going 9-for-12 from the field, 6-of-13 from the free throw line, six boards, and three steals. Massenburg delivered a clutch performance, finishing just one point shy of her career-high with 11 points. She set a new career-best with three blocks, shot 3-for-8 from the field, 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, and added four rebounds and a steal. Her two made three-pointers also marked a personal best.
Briahna Scott (Graham, N.C.) rose to the occasion as well as she scored ten points, got three steals, and dished three assists.
Julianna Walter (Taylorsville, N.C.) had a solid showing as she earned nine points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Leaders in the yellow jerseys included DaiShaundria Giggetts, who scored team-high 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, got five steals, and had a block, Mariah Eberhardt, who had six points, three rebounds, and three steals, and Emma Jones, who also earned half-a-dozen points. Skylar Jones was in the mix for the Cougars with six points on top of four steals.
Guilford opened with a dominant 12-0 run, led by McMillan,
Anna Giannopoulou (Athens, Greece) (eight rebounds, four steals, two blocks), and Massenburg. Averett responded with a free throw and layup from Giggetts to cut it to 12-3, but
Carleigh Perry (Faith, N.C.) (seven points, seven rebounds, four steals, one block) extended GC's lead to 16-5. Despite Averett's push, GC closed the quarter 21-10, fueled by 11 points off turnovers, ten bench points, and 14 points in the paint.
Averett opened the second quarter with back-to-back three's from Emma Jones and Zariia America, cutting Guilford's lead to 24-16. The Quakers responded with a layup from McMillan and free throws from Walter to push the lead back to 29-21. Guilford's defense forced ten turnovers, leading to key baskets from Scott and McMillan. Walter's late free throws secured a 36-27 Quaker lead heading into halftime.
In the third, the Quakers extended their lead with key plays from Perry and McMillan, who had ten points in this quarter alone. A 9-2 run, fueled by McMillan and Massenburg's free throws, pushed GC ahead 53-38. Although Emma Jones attempted to keep her team afloat, Scott's free throws and fastbreak layup secured a 57-45 Guilford lead entering the fourth.
For the final quarter, it was Guilford outscoring Averett 21-8 thanks to McMillan and Scott who sparked a 10-2 run early, advancing the lead to 65-47. Walter and Massenburg added buckets, while a late three-pointer from Anna Dabek was one of Averett's few bright spots. Guilford's defense forced ten turnovers, sealing their 78-53 victory. Guilford exceeded their season averages with 48 rebounds (above 42.5) and 20 steals (above 16.6) but struggled with turnovers, committing 31 instead of staying under 20.5. Defensively, they held Averett to 39 rebounds (below 40.8) and forced 38 turnovers (above 26.3) but allowed 19 steals, exceeding their goal of 10.1.
The Quakers will take on the Randolph College Wildcats for their second regular-season matchup, marking their final road game of the regular-season. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday, February 15th at 4:30 p.m.
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