The men and women of Guilford College Varsity Basketball appear determined to make the 2001 spring semester memorable.With a 73-46 victory over conference-rival Lynchburg last Saturday, the Quaker men tallied a four-game winning streak, their first since the 1993 season. All four victories came against rival teams from within the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in which Guilford competes, including previously undefeated Bridgewater.
The last time a varsity men’s team won four consecutive conference games was 1976-77, when they played in the Carolinas Conference. Until last Saturday, the Guilford men had never won four-straight in the ODAC.
The Lynchburg victory also gives the Quaker men their seventh overall ODAC win this season, one short of the school record. The current record for most ODAC victories in a season, eight, belongs to the 1994-95 team.
The 1994-95 team likewise enjoys the distinction of being Guilford’s most recent participant in the ODAC Men’s Tournament, a distinction the current squad hopes to erase by qualifying themselves.
Dave Walters, sports information director at Guilford College, views the chances of a post-season berth with optimism.
“In the 24-year history of the ODAC, no team with seven conference wins has ever missed the tournament,” said Walters, who hastens to add that mathematically it may be too soon to consider the team a shoo-in.
Aside from chasing school records and a potential playoff appearance, the Guilford men enjoy the further distinction of having shattered their six-game losing streak against the Bridgewater Eagles.
Bridgewater entered the game ranked 10th nationwide in a D3hoops.com Division III poll, having won all seven previous conference games in their season.
Sophomore guard Paul Kindem led the Quakers in scoring, producing 15 of his 20 points in the second half, as Guilford presented the Eagles their first defeat in 14 contests this season.
“The key to victory was our offensive patience and execution,” said Guilford head coach Butch Estes. “It was one of our best offensive games of the year.”
The current streak began January 13, when the Guilford men defeated Eastern Mennonite 66-59. Following their subsequent victory over Bridgewater, the men went on to defeat Washington and Lee 60-54 before their most recent victory over Lynchburg.
The Quakers then faced Hampden-Sydney on Wednesday, to whom they had lost 13 consecutive times. A brief synopsis of the game appears as an Editor’s Update at the conclusion of this article.
Coming off nine straight appearances in the ODAC tournament, the Guilford Varsity Women have likewise enjoyed recent success in their season.
Saturday’s win over Virginia Wesleyan marked the Quaker women’s seventh win in eight games, a run that included a season-best six-game winning streak.
Sophomore Shannon Underwood scored a career-high 16 points off the bench while joining First-Year Jackie Hardenberg in engineering a decisive second-half 15-0 run that enabled the Quakers to overcome an eight-point deficit.
Editor’s Update: Guilford’s women traveled to Washington and Lee on Tuesday. They won 70 to 54 against the Old Dominion Conference rival. The men’s team lost Wednesday night to Hampden-Sydney, 63 to 54.