Runnin' Bulldogs Push Missouri Before Falling, 72-63, Saturday
November 23, 2013 | Men's Basketball
The Runnin' Bulldogs (2-3) fell behind 6-0 early, before going on a 14-4 run sparked by Hill, Hibbert and Isaiah Ivey. Hibbert scored the final five points in that run, nailing a 3-pointer and jumper with 12:40 to play before halftime.
Missouri (4-0) rallied to retake the lead, but Gardner-Webb would tie after Ivey drained a three and Hill converted an old-fashioned trifecta with 4:30 to play before the half - making the score 22-22. The Tigers opened up a 30-25 lead with less than two minutes to play, but Hibbert made a pair of free throws with 1:13 left and knocked down a jumper with five seconds left to pull Gardner-Webb within two at the break, 31-29.
Gardner-Webb kept the game tight by making free throws over the second half's first eight minutes, and pulled within 48-45 on a Hibbert free throw with 11:14 remaining. Missouri responded with a 14-0 run that effectively put the game away, and Gardner-Webb would not be able to recover.
Ivey created some momentum for the Runnin' Bulldogs in the final three minutes, hitting a 3-pointer, a jumper and a layup to trim the lead to 72-59 with 59 seconds left. Onzie Branch's dunk with 31 seconds left made the score 72-61 and two Branch free throws with less than five seconds left provided the final margin.
Gardner-Webb shot more free throws than Missouri on the day, making 19-of-28, but shot just 28.6 percent from the floor in the closing 20 minutes. The taller Tigers took advantage of its edge on the backboards, out rebounding GWU 46-29 with 18 second-chance points and 46 points scored in the paint.
In addition to Hibbert and Hill, Ivey scored 13 points off the bench for Gardner-Webb. Branch added eight points and no other Gardner-Webb player had more than four. Hibbert added a career-high nine rebounds in his third strong offensive game in a row.
Earnest Ross led Missouri with 17 points, Jordan Clarkson had 14 and Jabari Brown had 13. Freshman forward Jonathan Williams pulled down 17 rebounds, and Missouri shot 54.5 percent in the final half to overcome a slow start offensively.
Gardner-Webb will play its second game of the Las Vegas Invitational on Monday night, traveling to face Northwestern at 8:00 pm. That game will air live on the Big Ten Digital Network.
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