Bulldogs Rout Lady Camels In A-Sun Conference Tournament Opener
March 09, 2007 | Women's Basketball
DOTHAN, Ala. – The Gardner-Webb women's basketball team posted a convincing 67-47 win over the Campbell Lady Camels in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
The Bulldogs improve to 14-16 on the season while the Camels end their season at 8-21.
Redshirt-junior Candyse Kelly led all scorers with a game-high 18 points on six-of-nine shooting from the floor. Kelly drained her only three-point bomb and hit five-of-six from the charity stripe.
Senior Shameka Smith extended her career, along with fellow fourth-year players Brittany Harmon and Novia Sturdivant, netting 14 points while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.
Five Bulldogs tallied at least six points in the win while all nine connected on at least one field goal.
Freshman Meranda Burnett dished out a game-high five assists to go along with her seven points while fellow rookie Jenny Sprouse drained nine points..
GWU held a 12-point halftime advantage, but Marlena Murphy's foul shot with 17:31 remaining sliced the lead to nine. However, Smith countered with an old-fashioned three-point play of her own to extend the lead to 12 and sparking an 11-0 run by head coach Rick Reeves' team.
Freshman Margaret Roundtree's basket with 5:37 to go gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the contest as GWU went ahead 64-40. Roundtree finished with four points, but also grabbed six rebounds.
The Bulldogs came out on fire to open the game, netting 63.6 percent of their shots in the first half. GWU canned 14-of-22 shots from the floor, including five-of-seven from behind the arc.
The Bulldogs, who had struggled all season long from the charity stripe, managed to drain seven-of-nine (77.8 percent) of their foul shots in the opening half, allowing the team to build a 21-point lead on two occasions, the latter coming at 34-13 with 9:06 remaining in the first half.
With the score tied at four, GWU roared to a nine-point advantage at 15-6 behind points from Smith and two three-pointers coming at the hands of Novia Sturdivant and Burnett.
GWU continued to apply the pressure to Campbell as the squad continued to hit shots from all over the floor. In the opening half, Sprouse knocked down two treys while Burnett knocked down one.
Candyse Kelly led the way in the first 20 minutes with eight points. Sprouse and Burnett each had seven while fellow seniors Smith and Harmon had accounted for six and four, respectively.
What gave GWU an early lead had a lot to do with the Bulldogs' rebounding. Smith and Harmon each pulled down six.
Despite the 21-point lead, Campbell fought back in the first period, cutting the margin to 12 at the intermission, 40-28. The Lady Camels were able to get back into the contest as GWU committed 15 turnovers while forcing a mere 10.
For the game, GWU canned 24-of-50 shots for 48 percent while limiting the Lady Camels to 18-of-60 shooting for 30 percent. The Bulldogs' stellar defense held a normally consistent Campbell squad to just 1-of-11 from behind the arc.
Harmon, the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, pulled down five defensive boards en route to a seven-rebound performance. The five defensive boards moved her into first place on the GWU single-season list for defensive rebounds.
The Bulldogs will attempt to make a return trip to the finals. However, GWU will face a tall order tomorrow when it squares off with top-seeded Belmont. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CST.
| Combined 30 |
| Box Score 30 |
