GWU Drops First Game Of Season In 78-53 Loss At Florida State
November 17, 2010 | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gardner-Webb fought and clawed its way throughout Tuesday's game at Florida State, but saw the hosts pull away for good with a 13-2 run in the final five minutes for the final 78-53 score.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (2-1) got 21 points from senior Jon Moore and 11 from LaRon Buggs, but fell victim to an exceptional evening from Florida State star Chris Singleton. The 6-foot-9 forward finished with 30 points on 10-of-11 shooting (3-of-3 from three-point range) and corralled 12 rebounds to lead the Seminoles (3-0), who are on the verge of cracking into the national top-25.
Singleton scored 15 of his team's first 25 points in the opening half, helping Florida State jump out to a 25-11 lead with 11:13 to play before intermission. That lead would balloon to 20 points with 7:24 to play in the half, before Gardner-Webb gathered its bearings and began to chip away with strong defensive effort and Moore's shooting.
A baseline jumper by Stefon Johnson with 1:52 to play in the first half cut the lead to 12, 38-26, and would be the final points scored before the break.
GWU came out strong to open the second half, using five points by freshman Luke Davis and short shots by Moore and Johnson to cut the lead to just six points, 41-35, and force a Florida State timeout with 17:13 left in the game.
Singleton scored out of the stoppage to make the score 41-35, sparking a 7-0 mini run by FSU to push its lead back to 13 points on a Singleton free throw with 13:14 left. Buggs nailed a three-pointer to get the game back to a 10-point margin with 12:13 to play, and Florida State struggled to pull away - as Gardner-Webb continued to battle.
Buggs' jumper with 8:22 left made the score 56-45 and, after a brief scoring burst by the 'Noles, Santoine Butler's tip in with 5:19 left pulled Gardner-Webb within 14 points (65-51). Florida State put the game away from there, as Deividas Dulkys nailed a three and Singleton scored the game's next seven points to spark the final flurry over the last 4:55.
FSU shot 49.1 percent for the game, with Singleton and Dulkys combining to knock down 7-of-9 shots from distance. The pair were the only players in double figures for Florida State.
Gardner-Webb shot 35.2 percent for the game (19-of-54). In addition to Moore and Buggs, GWU got eight points and six rebounds from Stefon Johnson.
The 'Dogs return to Paul Porter Arena Thursday night, hosting Virginia Intermont at 7:00 pm. The game will be the team's final home date until New Year's Eve vs. Liberty.
| Box Score (PDF) |
