Atkinson scored 13 points in the high-paced opening period that saw the Quakers (8-4 3-2 ODAC) grab a 45-36 halftime lead. He had seven points during a 12-4 Guilford spurt midway through the half that opened a 30-19 edge.
The Marlins (10-2, 5-2 ODAC) opened the second half on a 17-10 run to pull within two points with 14:18 left in the game. Fatigue set in for both teams playing their second game in as many days. The pace dwindled until Atkinson sparked a 10-2 Guilford run with a fast-break dunk followed by a three-pointer. Two Ray Edmond free throws capped the spurt and gave the hosts a 67-57 lead with 5:14 remaining.
Despite Guilford’s five-of-10 free-throw shooting in the final 90 seconds, the Marlins could not draw closer than four points down the stretch. Virginia Wesleyan made only three field goals in the final 3:52 and shot 38.7 percent from the floor in the second half.
Sophomore Jordan Snipes scored 13 points for Guilford and Edmond added 10 points off the bench. The Quakers’ reserves outscored their counterparts, 44-17. Atkinson and freshman Ben Strong paced the Quakers with five rebounds apiece.
Sophomore Brandon Adair led Virginia Wesleyan with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Junior Marques Fitch, who scored 13 points, tallied a game-high four assists and three three-pointers.
Guilford concludes a five-game home stand Wednesday (1/12) against league-rival Roanoke at 7:00 p.m.
Virginia Wesleyan vs Guilford 01/09/05 2:00 p.m. at Greensboro, NC - Ragan-Brown Field House At Greensboro, NC - Ragan-Brown Field House GUILFORD 74, VIRGINIA WESLEYAN 66 VIRGINIA WESLEYAN (10-2 (5-2 ODAC)) ADAIR, Brandon 8-12 3-6 19; FITCH, Marques 5-10 0-0 13; BALENGA, Ton Ton 2-10 2-2 8; TOWELL, Matt 3-7 2-2 8; SUMPTER, Thomas 3-5 0-0 6; WARREN, Peter 2-4 0-0 5; PASCHAL, Ari’ 2-10 0-2 4; FANTIN, Tyler 1-5 0-0 3; RILEY, Marcus 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-65 7-12 66. GUILFORD (8-4 (3-2 ODAC)) ATKINSON, Kerry 9-15 1-1 20; SNIPES, Jordan 4-5 3-3 13; EDMOND, Ray 2-5 4-4 10; LAWHORN, Genaro 3-6 1-1 7; STRONG, Ben 3-8 0-0 6; BELKOSKI, Eric 2-3 0-1 5; SHARPE, Andy 2-2 1-1 5; BURGE, Thomas 2-5 0-2 4; GRAY, Ashford 1-4 0-0 3; KIMBROUGH, Caleb 0-1 1-2 1; STEPHENSON, Patrick 0-1 0-0 0; MILLER, Truitt 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 28-56 11-16 74. Virginia Wesleyan............. 36 30 - 66 Guilford...................... 45 29 - 74 3-point goals-Virginia Wesleyan 7-24 (FITCH, Marques 3-6; BALENGA, Ton Ton 2-7; FANTIN, Tyler 1-2; WARREN, Peter 1-3; RILEY, Marcus 0-1; PASCHAL, Ari’ 0-4; SUMPTER, Thomas 0-1), Guilford 7-15 (SNIPES, Jordan 2-3; EDMOND, Ray 2-3; ATKINSON, Kerry 1-2; BELKOSKI, Eric 1-1; GRAY, Ashford 1-2; STEPHENSON, Patrick 0-1; BURGE, Thomas 0-3). Fouled out—Virginia Wesleyan-WARREN, Peter, Guilford-None. Rebounds-Virginia Wesleyan 36 (ADAIR, Brandon 11), Guilford 35 (ATKINSON, Kerry 5; STRONG, Ben 5). Assists-Virginia Wesleyan 14 (FITCH, Marques 4), Guilford 14 (EDMOND, Ray 2; MILLER, Truitt 2; KIMBROUGH, Caleb 2; SNIPES, Jordan 2). Total fouls-Virginia Wesleyan 19, Guilford 13. A-234 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Game. VWC men’s team is ranked 14th in this week’s D3hoops.com NCAA Division III poll. Guilford Freshman Kerry Atkinson had a career high 20 point. The Quakers won six of their past seven games.