Runnin' Bulldogs Cruise Past Alice Lloyd College, 87-57, Tuesday Night
December 07, 2011 | Men's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS - Max Landis scored a career-high 19 points off the bench and Gardner-Webb shot 53.2 percent to cruise past Alice Lloyd (Ky.) College Tuesday night at Paul Porter Arena.
Landis broke out of a brief shooting slump, knocking in 7-of-9 shots and 5-of-6 shots from three-point range in just 23 minutes of action. Corey Hensley and Santoine Butler chipped in with 10 points - career-high scoring totals for both centers - and Stefon Johnson had 14 points in the rout.
"We were able to play a lot of guys and catch our breath a little bit tonight. We were able to see some guys in an extended role do some good things," said Gardner-Webb head coach Chris Holtmann. "Alice Lloyd competed hard. They have some tough kids. I thought our defensive pressure was better in the second half, with 11 deflections by the [under 16] media timeout."
Gardner-Webb (5-6) jumped out to a 20-6 lead on a Donta Harper dunk with 12:18 to play in the first half, and led 36-14 with 6:35 to play in the half on a Kevin Hartley basket and never looked back. The Runnin' Bulldogs led 48-28 at the break, shooting a sizzling 63.3 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
The Runnin' Bulldogs limited Alice Lloyd (6-4) to 30.3 percent shooting in the second half and just 34.8 percent for the game - forcing 18 turnovers that turned directly into a 28-8 edge in fast break points. Those easy baskets were the result of efficient sharing of the basketball, with Gardner-Webb dishing off a season-high 28 assists on 33 made shots.
Only one Gardner-Webb starter played more than 15 minutes in the game, and 13 different players logged at least 10 minutes.
Harper (7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), Jay Royster (5 assists) and Tyler Strange (7 assists, 3 steals) each notched career-high totals in assists. Mike Byron blocked a career-high five shots to go with six points and six rebounds in the paint.
Gardner-Webb scored 60 of its points in the painted area Tuesday night.
Alice Lloyd got 26 points off the bench from forward Shawn Thompson (11-of-16 FG) and 10 points from guard Isaac Wilson. The Eagles made just 1-of-16 shots from long distance, as Gardner-Webb's pressure on the perimeter forced the visitors into contested jumpers for much of the evening.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will close out its current four-game home stand on Saturday when it hosts South Carolina State at 7:00 pm on December 10. For ticket information, call (704) 406-4340 or visit GWUSports.com.
| Box Score (PDF) |
