Runnin' Bulldogs Fall, 69-55, At East Carolina in Final Pre-Christmas Game
December 23, 2011 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina used a 15-4 run late in the second half to open up a tight game for a 69-55 win over Gardner-Webb Thursday night in the final pre-Christmas game for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Leading just 43-42 with 7:40 to play, East Carolina started its game-changing surge - getting a pair of three-point baskets from reserve Corvonn Gaines and five-straight from Shamarr Bowden to cap the rally with a 58-46 lead at the 4:19 mark.
The Pirates got 19 points from center Darrius Morrow, 18 from forward Maurice Kemp and 13 from Bowden to lead the way. Leading scorer Miguel Paul scored eight of his 10 points from the free throw line in the game's closing minutes.
Gardner-Webb (6-8) got 12 points each from Tashan Newsome and Max Landis, but shot just 33.3 percent for the game (18-of-54) and cooled to just 25.0 percent in the second half (7-of-28). Despite a cold night shooting the basketball, the Runnin' Bulldogs were tough enough to hang around until the Pirates' final run.
East Carolina (8-4) was red hot in the game's early moments, shooting over 72 percent through the first eight minutes - and controlling the paint to do so. The Pirates led 14-6 in the early going before Gardner-Webb heated up from behind the arc, with Kevin Hartley and Landis knocking in three-pointers as the 'Dogs pulled within 18-17 with just over 12 minutes left in the half.
Gardner-Webb got a transition bucket from Newsome with 6:53 left in the half to take its first lead of the half, 27-25, but Shamarr Bowden converted a four-point play with 4:55 left to retake the lead, and kept GWU scoreless until a Newsome Dunk with 14.2 seconds left pulled the 'Dogs within 31-29 at intermission.
Morrow and Kemp each scored 11 points in the opening half - combining for nearly 71 percent of the Pirates' scoring output in the first 20 minutes. The halftime deficit was only the third time this season that Gardner-Webb has trailed at the break.
Neither team could get its offense going in the second half's early stages. Gardner-Webb missed five-straight shots from long distance after Landis gave the 'Dogs a 32-31 lead with 19:32 left in the game, but East Carolina got its lead back midway through the half - and would not give it back.
East Carolina made 22-of-28 free throws in the game, with many coming in the final two minutes as Gardner-Webb was forced to foul. GWU held a rebounding edge for much of the game, but the Pirates used their length during key stretches and finished with a 38-32 edge on the backboards and turned 16 Gardner-Webb turnovers into a 15-3 scoring advantage in that category.
The Runnin' Bulldogs owned a 23-9 edge in bench scoring, with Jason Dawson (seven points), Donta Harper (five points) and Stefon Johnson (five points) providing much of that spark. Harper, the N.C. Class 3A State Player of the Year at South Central (N.C.) High in 2011, was playing in front of his hometown crowd and numerous family and friends. The 6-foot-6 wing added a pair of rebounds and two blocked shots in 19 minutes.
Gardner-Webb will enjoy a lengthy break for Christmas before getting back to Big South play at Radford on New Year's Eve. Opening tip is set for 2 pm in Radford, Va.
| Box Score (PDF) |
