Quakers overcome 10-point halftime deficit in 11-point win

Eric Stirling scores 21 points in the 69-58 Quaker win

[Box Score]

December 15, 2004

WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College Quakers overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, out-scoring Rose-Hulman 45-24 in the second half in the 11-point win. Eric Stirling (Brooklyn, NY/LaSalle Academy) scored 21 points including 10-of-12 from the free throw line in the Quakers third straight win.

The teams battled back and forth for the first nine minutes of the contest, as the teams were tied at 11 with 11:21 to play in the half before the Engineers opened a 14-4 run, taking a 10-point lead five minutes later. The lead grew to as many as 11 in the half, as the visitors from Terre Haute ended the half with a 34-24 advantage.

The Quakers started the second half with a 12-0 run, taking a two-point lead six minutes into the half, before the visitors took a one-point lead, their last of the game, with 12:15 left in the game. The Quakers gradually put their foot to the gas pedal, increasing the lead over the remainder of the game, leading by as many as 11, ending the game with a 69-58 victory.

Stirling led three Quakers in double figure scoring with 21 points while Deon Short (Cincinnati/Mt. Healthy) and David Guy (Webb City, MO/Webb City) scored 13 and 12 points respectively. Short and Stirling had six rebounds each while Zach Broermann (Brookeville, IN/Franklin County) dished out three assists.

Brian Bibb scored 17 points off of the bench on 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range, while Philip Griffith scored 14 in the loss. Griffith pulled down a game-high eight rebounds while Munchie Muskeyvalley dished out five assists to lead the team.

With the win, the Quakers improve to 5-4, the first time they have been over .500 nine games in the season since 1999-00, while Rose-Hulman falls to 4-5.

The next game for the Quakers is on Saturday, December 18 when the team travels to Marietta, Ohio to face of against the Pioneers of Marietta College with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m.