GREENSBORO, NC – The William Peace University men's basketball team traveled to Greensboro College for their USA South conference opener Wednesday night. Chris Thomas hoisted a game-tying three-pointer as time expired that was halfway home, but it rimmed out and the Pride escaped with an 84-81 win.

WPU went ahead by five with 4:29 left on the clock following a bucket from Ryan Emfinger. The Pride closed the game out on a 14-6 run though, as the Pacers went 1-of-4 from the field, missed a pair of free-throws and turned it over twice during that span. 

There were 10 ties, 10 lead changes and the largest lead by either team was seven early in the first half. The Pacers shot 50% (31-of-62) from the field, but after going 6-of-13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc in first half, they only made one three-pointer the rest of the way and struggled at the free-throw line. The Pacers went 12-of-22 (54.5%) from the stripe. Greensboro finished the game 23-of-25 (92%).

"We executed well and forced a lot of shots we wanted them to take, but as the game slowed down, we didn't make the plays we needed to make down the stretch," said head coach Claude Shields. "It's tough to win on the road when you can't hit free-throws, but I was extremely proud of how hard they played and how together they played, which is really exciting for us as we go forward."

"Over half our team are freshmen, and I was really impressed with how they handled themselves on the road in their first conference game," Shields added.  "There's a different feeling and intensity in these ones, so I think tonight was a great learning experience for those guys."

Nine different players scored at least five points for the Pacers (5-7, 0-1 USAS). Thomas led the way with 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Terry Rogers also reached double-figures with 12 points, four rebounds, five assists and a steal. 

Freshmen Dakota King, Sam Johnson and Samuel Arnold all made notable contributions. Arnold went 4-of-5 (80%) from the field for nine points and two rebounds off the bench. King added eight points and a rebound, while Johnson finished with seven points, three boards, an assist and a steal in his first start of the season.

Parris Scales, the USA South's reigning Player of the Week, led the way for Greensboro (7-5, 0-1 USAS). Scales posted a double-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. The conference's reigning Player of the Year, Simeon Howard, scored all 11 of his points in the second half along with nine rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The Pacers will be back in action this Saturday at 4:00 p.m., hitting the road for a conference game against Piedmont College. 

For the latest news and updates from William Peace University Athletics, please visit: http://gopeacepacers.com/.