ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.. -- The Guilford College men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season in a 61-51 loss at North Carolina Wesleyan on Tuesday evening.

THE BASICS

• Score: N.C. Wesleyan 61, Guilford 51

• Records: N.C. Wesleyan 2-1, Guilford 0-1

• Location: Everett Gym - Rocky Mount, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• A tough start to the season, Guilford trailed for the entirety of the contest, kicked off by a dunk by the hosts, just 13 seconds in. 

• Guilford trailed by one multiple times throughout the first half, but saw N.C. Wesleyan pull out to a seven-point advantage early. It owned a 31-25 lead heading into half time.

• The Quakers posted four points to open the second frame, coming on buckets from Julius Burch and Liam Ward. Burch assisted on Ward's jumper at 17:25.

• Trading blows, GC trailed by just two nearing the halfway mark (41-39) on another Burch layup.

• A six-point run by the bad guys came to an end thanks to a Joah Logan jump shot with 4:30 remaining on the game clock. 

• Despite the contest being out of reach, Guilford remained strong and posted five points to end 51-61. The points were all courtesy of Tyler Dearman, who had a layup and a bucket from behind the arc to close it out.

COMPARING NUMBERS

• Guilford was 12 for 15 at the charity stripe for a mark of 80 percent, while N.C. Wesleyan was 61.1 percent, 11 for 18.

• GC put up two more points in the paint, 20-18.

TOP PERFORMING QUAKERS

• Tyler Dearman led his team in scoring with 13 points on four field goals, four free throws and one three-pointer. He was also strong on the boards with six rebounds. Dearman added a steal in his 15 minutes played. 

• Senior Liam Ward was closest to a double-double with his 10 points and team-best eight rebounds. Ward also contributed a steal in the Quakers' efforts. 

• Going up for the most offensive rebounds was Joah Logan who had three. Logan added nine points of his own. 

• Jorden Davis had a team-leading two steals. Davis put up five points in his 29 minutes played.

NEXT TIME

GC remains on the road as it travels to Methodist on Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest.