Bulldogs Rout Lady Cavaliers In Season Opening Win, 98-53
November 10, 2007 | Women's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb women's basketball overcame a sluggish first half start to record a 98-53 season-opening victory over Montreat College Saturday evening in Paul Porter Arena.
The Bulldogs stand at 1-0 on the season while the Lady Cavaliers fall to 1-1.
Sophomore Margaret Roundtree netted a team-best and a career-high 15 points. A trio of freshman also reached double figures. Monique Hudson notched 13, while Courtney Epps posted 11 and Dominique Hudson had 10, respectively.
Fellow rookies Emma Cronk and Ashley Falknor each accounted for nine points in the game. Thirteen of the 14 GWU student-athletes scored at least two points while all 14 saw playing time.
The Bulldogs shot just 34.9 percent in the first half compared to 42.9 for the visitors. However, GWU caught fire in the final 20 minutes, canning 21-of-39 shot attempts for a 53.8 percent clip. The Bulldogs shot 43.9 percent for the game.
GWU's defense forced 31 turnovers in the game while committing 17, many of which came in the first half.
Redshirt-sophomores Jessica Bryant and Laura Povilonyte each saw their first regular season action in two seasons after missing last year due to injuries. In addition to the freshmen, the game marked the first time that fans saw transfer Sherika Montgomery. Povilonyte and Bryant each had five points while Montgomery chipped in four.
The 98 points were the second most in the Bulldogs' Division I history, just one shy of what the 2002-03 put up against Jacksonville State. The 45 point victory surpasses the school record of 42 that was set at Morris Brown on Feb. 14, 2001.
With just an eight point lead at the intermission, 44-36, the Bulldogs responded to the halftime talk, netting a 9-0 run out of the break to take a 53-36 lead. During the run, Roundtree accounted for four points.
As the lead hovered around 30 for much of the second half, the Bulldogs got a some easy buckets in the closing minutes. In the waning moments of the game, multiple players fouled out for Montreat, which only carried eight on the roster.
GWU kept continuous pressure on the visitors and got easy chances in the final 20 minutes. The Bulldogs scored 28 of the 54 second-half points in the paint and got 21 points off turnovers.
As head coach Rick Reeves subbed freely to keep fresh bodies in the game, the bench accounted for 66 of the 98 points in the game, 42 of which came in the second half.
The win marked the first time in the program's full Division I history that the squad won a season opener. During the first transition season, the Bulldogs defeated North Carolina A&T 67-65.
GWU will look to improve on its record Tuesday evening when it
plays host to BIG EAST foe Georgetown at 6 p.m., as part of a
doubleheader with the men's basketball team, which will host North
Greenville at approximately 8 p.m.
| Box Score |
