Center Mike Byron Out 3-4 Weeks With Injury
November 14, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Byron (6-10, 245) played 14 minutes and blocked three shots before leaving the game. Gardner-Webb (1-1) went on to a 77-39 win.
The junior from San Antonio, Texas, is averaging 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game so far in 2012-2013. He scored six of Gardner-Webb's first eight points in the season opener at No. 11 North Carolina, pushing the Runnin' Bulldogs to an early lead. He finished with 10 points and blocked a shot against the Tar Heels.
"We are disappointed for Mike because he had worked very hard to return to full strength after his stress fracture this summer," said Gardner-Webb head coach Chris Holtmann. "He was playing very well and has consistently improved. We certainly aren't the only team in college basketball dealing with a significant injury, and we are excited to see Mike back in action here before long.
"In the meantime, this will give some of our young posts an opportunity to grow."
Sophomore Corey Hensley stepped in to pick up the slack on Saturday night, finishing the win over Covenant with a career-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Freshman forward Jerome Hill is also expected to see his playing time increase in the post in Byron's absence.
Gardner-Webb begins a stretch of six games in 12 days on Wednesday night, hosting Lipscomb at 6:00 pm in Paul Porter Arena.
