Runnin' Bulldogs Roll To 77-39 Win Over Covenant (Ga.) Saturday Night
November 11, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Gardner-Webb (1-1) had little time to rest after a hard-fought game at No. 11 North Carolina just one night earlier, but started a 23-1 run with 14:28 to play in the first half that turned a 10-8 lead into a 34-9 gap with 2:57 to play before the half.
Max Landis led the way with 10 points at the break, and Hensley powered his way to 14 of his game-high total in the final 20 minutes. Gardner-Webb led by as many as 38 points severe times down the stretch - and the lead did not shrink below 32 points after the nine-minute mark.
"I'm proud of our kids' effort after playing on the road last night," said Gardner-Webb head coach Chris Holtmann. "Like last night, I thought we played very well in stretches. Having said that, we need to be much better and it begins in film study and practice tomorrow."
Gardner-Webb shot 51.9 percent in the second half and finished at 49.1 percent for the game - knocking down 28-of-57 field goals. The Runnin' Bulldogs were an accurate 16-of-21 from the free throw line (76.2 percent) and owned a 42-29 edge on the backboards.
The GWU defense, which forced No. 11 North Carolina into double figures turnovers on Friday night, was effective again Saturday. The Runnin' Bulldogs pilfered 17 steals and turned 25 Covenant miscues into a 26-5 edge in points off of turnovers.
Hensley, a 6-foot-8 forward, helped the 'Dogs post a 44-16 edge in paint scoring as well. The Candler, N.C., native was 7-of-10 from the floor, had four rebounds and dished off a pair of assists.
Landis finished with 12 points and a pair of assists in his second-straight double figures scoring night. Kevin Hartley (11 points, five rebounds, six steals) and Tashan Newsome (11 points, eight rebounds, two assists) also reached double digits in the scoring column.
Onzie Branch added eight points, Isaiah Ivey had five markers for the second night in a row and guard Adam Sweeney closed out the night by scoring the first two points of his college career.
Gardner-Webb dished off 19 assists in the game and blocked seven shots. Mike Byron had three of those rejections and Hartley and Branch had two each.
Covenant (0-1) was led by Colton McGriff's nine points. The Scots shot just 24.5 percent from the floor - including 4-of-20 in the first half.
Gardner-Webb will play again at home on Wednesday night, when Lipscomb rolls into town for a 6:00 pm matchup in Paul Porter Arena. That game will air live on the Big South Network and WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org).
| Box Score (PDF) |
