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William Peace University

78
Winner Hampden-Sydney HSC 7-1,2-1 ODAC
65
William Peace WPU 4-6,0-0 USA South
Winner
Hampden-Sydney HSC
7-1,2-1 ODAC
78
Final
65
William Peace WPU
4-6,0-0 USA South
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Hampden-Sydney HSC 44 34 78
William Peace WPU 27 38 65
Michael Dulin vs. Hampden-Sydney 2023

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | WPU Athletic Communications

Pacers Scare Nationally-Ranked Hampden-Sydney In Loss

RALEIGH, N.C. – The William Peace men's basketball team nearly pulled off the upset in a 78-65 loss to nationally-ranked Hampden-Sydney at the Hermann Athletic Center on Tuesday.

The Pacers scared the sixth-ranked Tigers with a furious second-half rally which cut a 17-point halftime deficit to six points twice in the second half.  Beau Bryant hit two free throws with under five minutes left to pull the Pacers (4-5 overall) within six for the second time at 66-60.

But the Tigers (7-1 overall) ended the contest with a game-clinching run, outscoring the Pacers 12-5 down the stretch. Despite the loss, the Pacers put up a valiant battle against one of the nation's best teams. They outscored the visitors 38-34 in the second half including a 23-12 spurt in the first 10 minutes which closed the gap to six the first time at 56-50.

"I am proud of how we competed tonight against an extremely good team," Pacers Head Coach Claude Shields said. "We got punched in the mouth and fought back! We are excited to learn and grow from watching film."

Though the non-conference contest ended in defeat, the Pacers showed grit which will help them in January when USA South Conference play starts.

"Playing teams like Hampden-Sydney – who I believe can win the national championship – will get us ready for conference play!," Shields said. "We are headed in the right direction!"

Bryant led the Pacers with 17 points and Tyler Parton added 14 points. Timothy Pettiford was one rebound away from a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Michael Dulin and Shawn Jones each scored nine points for the Pacers, who shot 41 percent from the floor.

The Pacers heated up after a cold first half, shooting 44 percent from the floor. Free throws stymied their comeback, however, as they missed 11 from the charity stripe in the second half. William Peace shot 52 percent (13 of 25) overall from the free throw line.

The Pacers nearly overcame their free throw shooting woes. After falling behind early 30-9, William Peace settled down and outscored the Tigers 18-14 in the final 10 minutes before halftime. The hosts continued their run in the second half to make it a close game.

Davidson Hubbard sparked the Tigers with 18 points. Ryan Clements added 17 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and five steals.

Before the contest started, the Pacers recognized William Peace graduate Bryson Gibson, who is an assistant basketball coach at Hampden-Sydney. Gibson was a player and assistant coach under Coach Shields, and was the head cross country coach at WPU. A 2015 graduate, Gibson earned USA South Conference All-Academic honors and scored the first point in men's basketball history at William Peace.

William Peace will take a holiday break before concluding 2023 portion of its schedule in late December. The Pacers will take on LaGrange and nationally-ranked Guilford in the Guilford College Invitational on Dec. 29-30 in Greensboro, N.C.

The Pacers and Guilford will meet for the second time this season. The contest will be the Pacers' fourth against a nationally-ranked team in 2023.
 
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