Greensboro, N.C. -- University of Lynchburg's men's basketball team hit the road for the first time in 2018-19 Wednesday to face the Guilford College Quakers, falling 82-78 in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference game.
The loss ends the program's best-ever season-opening win streak at seven.
Lynchburg battled back from a double-digit deficit to tie the game at 74 with 1:02 remaining, but clutch shooting preserved the Quakers' win.
Senior wing Austin Wrighten (Woodbridge, Va.) piled up 25 points, 15 rebounds, and three steals. Senior forward Connor Schroeder (Blacksburg, Va.) racked up 15 points, earning three baskets from behind the arc. Senior guard Jesse Case (Leesburg, Va.) collected eight points for the Hornets and dished out six assists.
THE RUNDOWN
Final: Guilford 82, Lynchburg 79
Records: Lynchburg (7-1, 3-1 ODAC), Guilford (4-4, 1-1 ODAC)
Venue: Ragan-Brown Field House, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Lynchburg had a promising start in the first half, pulling ahead of the Quakers 27-15.
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Several Hornets got into foul trouble late in the period, however, as Guilford scored 11 points on free throws in the last 8 minutes of play. Guilford rode that to a 36-35 halftime lead.
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Guilford broke into an extended 14-0 run early in the second, building a 55-42 advantage with 11:49 to play after Will Leckonby connected on a 3-pointer.
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The Hornets closed the gap with an extended run of their own, a 19-5 blitzkrieg that ended with Case's game-tying 3 with 1:02 remaining. However, Marcus Curry sank a 3-pointer of his own with 32 seconds left, and the Quakers went 5-for-6 behind the free throw line securing to nail down the win.
LOOKING AHEAD
Lynchburg will travel again Saturday, Dec. 8 to Fayetteville, N.C., for a non-conference game against Methodist at 2 p.m.
--LYN--
