Greensboro GBORO 4-8,0-1 USA South

William Peace WPU 6-7,1-1 USA South

Greensboro GBORO

4-8,0-1 USA South

Final

Jan. 06, 2024

William Peace WPU

6-7,1-1 USA South

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Greensboro GBORO	22	37	59
William Peace WPU	20	42	62

Summary
Box Score

Carly Vadinsky

Timothy Pettiford Finished With 24 Points, 7 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Steals

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/6/2024 10:10:00 PM | WPU Athletic Communications

Pacers Outlast Greensboro For Season's First Conference Win

RALEIGH, N.C. – The William Peace men's basketball team did not hang its head after losing a one-point spine-tingler to Methodist on Wednesday.

The Pacers simply went back to work in their lab – better known as the Hermann Athletic Center – and prepared for Saturday's home conference opener. The toil and sweat paid off as the Pacers made the plays down the stretch to outlast Greensboro 62-59 in a USA South game for their first conference win of the season.

William Peace (1-0 USA South, 6-7 overall) made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute to gain the win. Tyler Parton's free throw with 33 seconds remaining put the Pacers ahead 60-59. After the Pride misfired on a potential game-winning three from the corner, Beau Bryant nailed two free throws with 0.4 seconds left to ice the victory.

The result is a reversal of Wednesday when a late six-point lead slipped away in a 71-70 road loss to Methodist after the Pacers went 1 for 6 from the free throw line. In that contest, the Pacers made 50 percent of their free throws.

The Pacers bounced back at the charity stripe on Saturday, making 18 of 25 free throws for 72 percent. Bryant was the top free throw shooter, hitting 11 of 12. Free throws and turnover points (21-8 in the Pacers favor) keyed the triumph.

Pacers Head Coach Claude Shields was impressed with his team's ability to put Wednesday's loss behind them and pull out a close conference win.

"I am extremely proud of our group for bouncing back today," Shields said. "We made plays down the stretch in the last four minutes – which was a big emphasis for us the last two days."

It was a well-earned win for the Pacers, who beat a defensive-minded Pride team at its own game. Trailing 22-20 at the half, the Pacers adjusted to the grinding style of Greensboro (0-1 USA South, 4-8 overall), which leads the conference in least points allowed per game.

The Pacers, one of the league's top perimeter shooting teams, scored inside often in the final stanza. They made 14 of 22 buckets for 63.6 percent which helped them open a six-point lead twice. The pesky Pride regained the lead at 45-40 midway in the half but were outscored by the Pacers 22-14 the rest of the way.

The tandem of Timothy Pettiford and Beau Bryant sparked the Pacers. Pettiford scored a game-high 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting and added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Bryant added 21 points, with 11 points coming from the free throw line, and a team-high eight rebounds.

Ababacar Thiam chipped in five points and four rebounds. Both Thiam and Rashaun Tomlin were huge presences in the paint for the Pacers. Michael Dulin tied Pettiford for assist honors with four.

Isaiah Pruett and Matthew Brown each scored 14 points for Greensboro, which committed 15 turnovers.

The Pacers will play again Tuesday, Jan. 9, on the road against North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount, N.C. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m.

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