ATLANTA, Ga. - The Vikings opened NCAA Tournament play with a trip to Emory University to face the Guilford College Quakers, where they were victorious in a nail-biting thriller, 80-77, in their first ever NCAA Tournament win.
Braxton Benham and Nile King led Berry as they showed the country why the Vikings are a force to be reckoned with. Benham finished with 24 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds in what was a fantastic showing from the senior captain. King got the job done efficiently on the interior for the Vikings with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and two resounding blocks to cap off a tremendous night for the freshman.
The Viking bench was also outstanding, outscoring Guilford's bench 16-5 on their way to victory.
The first half began with physical and hard-nosed play from both sides, as the Vikings stood tall despite giving up a significant size advantage to Guilford on the inside.
The Vikings got things going with a baseline drive and lay in from King to even the score at 2 with just over 18 minutes to play in the first half. On the next Berry possession, Benham would drive to his left hand and glide through the air for a layup to give Berry an early 4-2 lead.
A few plays later, Parker Godwin pushed the pace and found Drew Winegarden wide open for a three-pointer from the top of the key that gave the Vikings a 7-4 lead with 15:30 to play in the half.
The Vikings and Quakers continued to battle early on until Benham took control after being tied 9-9, as he scored back-to-back difficult shots that included a baseline fade away jump shot and a double clutch layup. Benham then made it happen defensively, as he drew a charge to give Berry an extra possession at the 13-minute mark.
Guilford then responded with a run to retake an 18-17 lead, before King dazzled the crowd with an up-and-under move and bucket off the glass to give Berry back a 19-18 lead with just over 8 minutes to play. With Guilford taking a 21-19 lead, sophomore Ryan Luttrell made his presence felt again with a two-footed jump stop that ended in a converted and-one. On the next possession, Luttrell made another huge shot, as he lined up a three-pointer from the corner that gave Berry a slim 25-23 lead with 4:30 to play in the half.
Down the stretch of the first half, the two teams continued to throw haymakers, with neither giving any ground. The back-and-forth play ended with Berry hitting some timely three-pointers courtesy of the right hands of Canon Armstead and Winegarden that gave them a 33-31 lead heading into the final minute of the first half. Some Berry free throws and stellar defense gave them a 37-31 lead at the end of what was a fiery showing from both teams.
The second half of play began with a Godwin corner three-pointer that got Berry some breathing room, 40-31, at the beginning of the half. Guilford answered with a quick 4-0 run before Benham would weave his way to the rim to give Berry a seven-point lead with 18 minutes to play in the half.
Big men for both teams ruled the 17-minute mark with King scoring the Vikings' first second chance opportunity of the game. On the following possession, Guilford made it happen on the inside to make the score 44-40 at the 16-minute media timeout.
With Guilford bearing down Berry's neck, Benham orchestrated a beautiful offensive set when he threw a pass to Winegarden who finished an easy layup to give the Vikings a 48-47 lead with just under 14 minutes to play. Benham continued to put pressure on the Guilford defense, as he made a dazzling move and stepped back for a three-point shot that gave Berry a 53-47 lead with 12:51 left to play.
The physicality of this game showed in the foul counts, as both teams found themselves in the bonus with 11 minutes to play. Berry capped off a 9-0 run with a textbook Godwin layup off of a fake handoff that gifted the Vikings a 57-47 lead with 10:58 to play.
Guilford refused to give the Vikings any ground though, as they responded with a 5-0 run to cut the Berry lead to five points with 7 minutes left to play.
As the game coasted to a finish, the Vikings would cling to a 67-63 lead with 5 minutes left. Benham then extended the lead as he rocketed his way to the basket and finished a layup through three defenders that extended the Viking lead back out to 6.
The Quakers roared back to tie the score at 69 with 3:21 to play. Benham delivered for the Vikings just in the nick of time though, as he dashed to the basket again using his speed and agility for another acrobatic and-one layup that gave Berry an ever-so-important 72-69 advantage with 2:58 to play.
The Quakers quickly responded with a basket to keep the nail-biter going. On the ensuing Viking possession, Godwin came up with a monumental offensive rebound and got fouled where he knocked down two free throws to make the lead 74-71.
Guilford then answered with an and-one layup that left the chess table all even at 74.
Following a timeout, Benham dished the basketball over to Isaac Martin who drilled a three-pointer with conviction to give the Vikings a 77-74 lead with just a minute left to play in the game. A Viking stop and Benham free throw set the stage for an unbelievable finish as Berry led 78-74 with 52 seconds to play. The Quakers answered with a three-pointer that got them back behind just one point, 78-77.
Berry would then be put at the free throw-line with just 18.7 seconds left. Winegarden would lace the free throws to make the score 80-77. A strong defensive stand then catapulted Berry to a classic and historic victory over Guilford by a final score of 80-77.
Following the historic win, the Vikings still have work to do as they will face the hosting Emory Eagles with a chance to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament on the line tomorrow at 6:50 PM ET.
