GWU Holds Off Western Carolina, 96-90, Wednesday Night
December 17, 2008 | Men's Basketball
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Grayson Flittner scored 18 of his
season-high 31 points in the opening half, and Gardner-Webb sizzled
to 55.8 percent shooting in a 96-90 road win over Western
Carolina.
"We have had a tough stretch, with all these road games so far
this season, but our kids have fought through it and came away with
a very strong performance tonight for a win," said GWU head coach
Rick Scruggs. "We shot the ball very well against a team that had
been putting up good defensive numbers, and played together as a
team. It's great to end this road swing with a win."
Gardner-Webb (3-7) was playing its ninth road game of the season
and snapped a four-game win streak by the Catamounts (5-3) with a
strong inside-outside offensive effort that included Flittner and
center Auryn MacMillan.
MacMillan scored 12 of his career-high 18 points in the opening
half as well, helping GWU maintain a tie score, 49-49, at the
break. GWU led by eight midway through the first half, but saw
Western Carolina take advantage of second-chance points (18 in the
first half) to pull even before intermission.
The Runnin' Bulldogs kept the pressure on in the second half as
Flittner continued to shine from the perimeter, and was joined in
the long distance barrage by Nate Blank in the middle stages of the
final stanza. Leading by just one point, 67-66, with just over 11
minutes to play in the game, Flittner and Blank teamed up to score
14 points in a back-breaking 19-9 run that gave Gardner-Webb an
11-point edge, 86-75, with 5:54 remaining.
Gardner-Webb would not score a field goal from that point, however,
but made just enough free throws down the stretch to keep Western
Carolina from entertaining any ideas of a comeback.
Flittner finished the game with the second-highest point total of
his career, hitting 8-of-14 shots and 5-of-10 from long distance.
The preseason All-Big South guard made a perfect 10-of-10 at the
free throw line as well, a new career-high total from that
location. In addition to MacMillan's career-high point total, Blank
added 15 points, and Jonathan Moore added 11 in a balanced scoring
attack for the visitors – who hit 29-of-52 shots from the
floor and 12-of-25 from down town (48 percent).
Jake Robinson led Western Carolina with 23 points, hitting 9-of-21
shots for the game. He was joined in double digits by Brandon Giles
(17 points), Brigham Waginger (10 points) and Harouna Mutombo (11
points). The Catamounts, who had posted wins over Northern Illinois
and Kent State earlier this season, shot just 40.5 percent for the
game (32-of-79) and just 8-of-34 from deep. The Cats held a 47-45
edge on the glass, and kept the game competitive by converting 25
offensive caroms into 30 second-chance points.
Gardner-Webb will now get to enjoy its first home stand of the
2008-09 season, beginning a four-game home stretch on Saturday,
December 20, at 4 pm ET against Ferrum.
