GREENSBORO, N.C. – Maryville continued rolling Friday afternoon, picking up its eighth straight victory with a 72-60 win over Greensboro at the Hanes Gymnasium.
Sixth-man
R.J. Simmons played 29 minutes off the bench and led the Scots in both scoring (21 points) and rebounds (8). Both of those figures mark career highs for the Powder Springs, Georgia native. The sophomore forward was 8-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc.
"R.J. gave us a great lift today," Head coach Raul Placers said "I loved his energy, his toughness and his passion. How relentless he was on the boards and how great of a finisher he was tonight was great to see."
"I'm really proud of him and his performance tonight."
Maryville and Greensboro traded leads back and forth for much of the game's 40 minutes of play. There were eight lead changes and seven tied scores before the Scots took the lead for good with a dunk by Simmons to put them up 57-55 with 6:10 remaining.
The Scots struck first in the contest, starting off with a quick three from
Reed Kemp, followed by a sharp mid-range jumper from
Daryl Rice.
Rice, who came into Friday's game ranked fifth in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.56, continued his markedly efficient play with three assists and his fifth turnover-free performance of the season. He finished second on the squad with a career-high 17 points, going perfect from both the field (5-of-5) and the charity stripe (6-of-6).
"Daryl is having the best 10-game stretch of his career as a point guard," Placeres said. "Another game with no turnovers. When you have a floor general that plays that way it gives you a chance to win a lot of games."
Maryville trailed by as many as seven points, falling behind 27-20 with 4:34 remaining in the first half but a three-pointer from
Jackson Garner kicked off an 11-4 run to tie the score at 31 heading into the half.
Logan Patterson capped off the Scots run with a pair of free throws with 45 seconds remaining.
Garner was a perfect 4-of-4 from three, scoring 15 points in his 31 minutes of play. The Sophomore is 14-of-24 from beyond the arc in his last four games, good for 58.3 percent.
Kicking off the second half, there were four lead changes in the first four minutes of play. Simmons kicked off the scoring with a dunk just 12 seconds into the half. Greensboro quickly answered with a three-pointer to take back the lead. The Scots and the Pride traded buckets one more time before a Greensboro steal led to a quick layup that put the Pride up 38-35.
As the second half progressed, there were ties of 45, 49, and 55 before the Scots took the lead for good at 57-55. Maryville ended the contest with a 13-7 run to secure its eighth-straight win heading into the winter break.
"Everyone who played today had an impact on the game," said Placeres. "It doesn't matter who we're playing or when we're playing them, they're doing their very best to help the team win."
"When there is a sense of oneness, connection and unity, you feel powerful, confident, and strong."
Maryville now has two weeks off for winter break. The Scots return to action Dec. 29 with a trip to Atlanta to face off against George Fox on Day 1 of the Emory Classic. On Day 2, they will take on either host Emory or Mary Washington.
Tip-off against George Fox is scheduled for 2 p.m.
