GWU Rumbles Past Piedmont, 108-65, In Men's Exhibition Bout
November 01, 2007 | Men's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Grayson Flittner scored 21 points
and dished out six assists, and Gardner-Webb turned an early 37-3
lead into a decisive 108-65 win over Piedmont (Ga.) in its lone
exhibition game of the preseason.
The Runnin' Bulldogs unveiled an aggressive new up-tempo offensive
approach in the exhibition, and topped the 50-point mark in both
halves – scoring 33 fast-break points, 48 bench points and 67
points in the paint.
Flittner, a sophomore guard from Sharpsville, Ind., nailed 8-of-11
shots (5-of-8 from three-point range) and had just one turnover in
23 minutes of action. Thomas Sanders added 17 points and newcomers
Nate Blank (13 points, seven rebounds, four assists) and Quincy
Sarpy (10 points, six rebounds) came off the bench to hit double
figures.
Piedmont missed its first 13 field goal attempts in the game, and
had just three free throws to show offensively with 6:58 to play in
the opening half – when a pair of Sanders' free throws gave
the hosts a 37-3 advantage.
Gardner-Webb led 51-24 at the break, and shot 55.0 percent in the
final half to pull further ahead in the end. Piedmont did get 27
points from preseason Division III All-America forward Jake Baldwin
(17 in the second half), but turned the basketball over 23 times
and shot just 38.2 percent from the floor (6-of-21 from three-point
range). Sam Coppage (12 points) and Wesley Parker (11 points) also
found double figures for the Lions.
Guards Aaron Linn (nine points, six rebounds, five assists) and
Takayo Siddle (eight points, six assists) played well running the
point for GWU on Thursday, as did freshman Dillon Boggs (six
points, three assists). Sophomore center Auryn MacMillan added six
points and nine rebounds in a starting role for the ‘Dogs.
Every player who dressed for GWU Thursday night scored at least one
basket from the floor and grabbed at least one rebound. The Runnin'
Bulldogs shot a solid 51.2 percent from the floor in the game
(42-of-82) and out-rebounded Piedmont by a sizeable 62-25
margin.
Gardner-Webb will turn its attention to the regular season now,
with the opener set for Tuesday, Nov. 6, against Alabama A&M in
the first round of the 2007 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in
Lexington, Ky. The game will mark GWU's first visit to the hallowed
halls of Kentucky's Rupp Arena. Kentucky and Central Arkansas play
the nightcap on Tuesday – with both games' winners to meet at
9 pm on Wednesday in the second round (ESPNU).
| Box Score (PDF) |
