GREENSBORO, N.C. – True heart and determination was on display Tuesday night as the Greensboro College men's basketball team rallied back from a 12-point deficit over the last five minutes to top the Quakers of Guilford College, 73-72.
 
"There was so much emotion in the locker room following the game," Head Coach Bryan Galuski said. "It was a great game and the effort of our guys was just fantastic.
 
"This team is special in how they prepare, they practice, and how they come together as a team. I am proud for our kids and our staff for the effort that they put in to get the victory tonight"
 
Neither team was able to hit their offensive stride over the first three minutes of the contest before Greensboro established their largest lead of the contest at 16-12, following a Justin Minnis layup, with 11:12 to play in the first half.
 
Guilford then outscored the Pride over the next five minutes to take a 22-19 lead.
 
As the first half began to run down, the Quakers went on to extend their lead to 33-25 before Kevon Meertins recorded a fast-break layup with five seconds on the clock to send Greensboro into halftime trailing by a six-point margin.
 
Following intermission, Guilford hit a hot streak on the offensive end of the floor and rushed out to a 49-34 lead with 15:36 showing on the clock, forcing Greensboro to call a 30-second timeout.
 
Despite having their backs against the wall, the Pride did not go away as they were able to chip the Guilford advantage down to six points over the next six minutes, but Guilford responded back to regain a 63-52 lead with just over eight minutes to play.
 
The two teams then traded layups over the next two minutes before junior Carmoni Marks and the Greensboro defense came to life to start the epic comeback.
 
With Greensboro trailing 69-57, Marks scored Greensboro's next six points to pull the Pride to within six points before the defense applied a full-court press that the Quakers could not crack.
 
Meertins recorded a steal and a layup to pull Greensboro to within four before converting on an old-fashion three-point play, making the score 69-66 with 3:08 on the clock.
 
Guilford then extended their lead back out to five points just a short time later, but Meertins answered right back with his fourth basket of the contest to bring Greensboro back to within three.
 
Over the final two minutes, Guilford would go 1-for-2 from the free-throw line to extend their lead 72-68 before Michael Phifer converted an old-fashion three-point play of his own to cut the deficit down to one.
 
On the Quakers ensuing possession, Langley possessed a long defensive rebound and was fouled to find himself with a chance to give the Pride their first lead since early in the contest.
 
Langley did not disappoint as he drained both free throws to give Greensboro the lead for good.
 
In addition to marking a season opening win, it also marked the first victory over the Quakers for the Pride since the 2010-2011 season.
 
"This was just an outstanding college basketball game tonight," Galuski added. "The energy tonight was enthusiastic and energetic as the fans were with us all the way until the end."
 
Greensboro finished with five players in double figures scoring as Phifer led the way with 14. Marks and Minnis finished with 12 points, while Noah Watkins and Meertins chipped in 10 apiece.
 
The Pride defense forced Guilford into 25 turnovers on the evening, which resulted in 32 points.
 
The Greensboro men will return to action Friday when they open the Marlin Tip-off when they take on Virginia Wesleyan College at 7 p.m.
 
For more information on Greensboro College men's basketball, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.