GAME PREVIEW: Gardner-Webb Faces Seton Hall in Paradise Jam Semifinals Sunday
November 22, 2014 | Men's Basketball
GWU Game Notes | Gameday Central
The Game
Gardner-Webb takes on Big East foe Seton Hall in the semifinals of the 15th annual Ezybonds Global Payments US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Sunday, November 23 at 6:00 pm ET. The game will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network with Danny Lee and Kevin Lehman courtside calling the action and Monyka Johnigan reporting on the sideline.
Series Notes
This marks the first meeting between Gardner-Webb and Seton Hall. The Runnin' Bulldogs are 1-2 all-time against current members of the Big East Conference, defeating DePaul 71-59 on November 15, 2012 in Chicago, Ill.
The Coaches
Gardner-Webb's Tim Craft is in his second season with the Runnin' Bulldogs, leading GWU to an 18-15 record last winter while being named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award.
Seton Hall's Kevin Willard is in his fifth season at Seton Hall, compiling a 68-66 record to date and leading the Pirates to the second round of the NIT in 2012.
Last Time Out
Senior point guard Tyler Strange (Leominster, Mass.) recorded a double-double with season-highs of 18 points and 10 assists to lead Gardner-Webb to the program's first-ever win over an ACC opponent as the Runnin' Bulldogs upset Clemson, 72-70, in the opening game of the 15th annual Ezybonds Global Payments US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Friday.
Gardner-Webb (2-1) shot 37.3 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from downtown, while winning the battle on the glass by a 40-34 margin. Clemson (1-2) knocked down 49.1 percent of its field goal attempts on the afternoon, including an even 50 percent in the second half, as Gardner-Webb held the Tigers to a 4-for-13 clip from behind the arc.
Strange led the way for Gardner-Webb with 18 points and 10 assists, knocking down four three-pointers to move into fourth on the program's all-time list with 121 career treys. He was joined in double figures by four other Runnin' Bulldogs, as Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) added 12 points and Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.), Jarvis Davis (Columbia, S.C.) and Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) each scored 10 points. Davis pulled down a team-high eight boards, all on the defensive end, while also picking up two of the team's four steals.
Looking at Seton Hall
Seton Hall opened the Paradise Jam with a win over Nevada, hanging on late to edge the Wolf Pack, 68-60. The Pirates placed three players in double figures, led by Sterling Gibbs with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Brandon Mobley added 12 points and Khadeen Carrington poured in 11 off the bench. Angel Delgado pulled down nine boards as the Pirates bested the Wolf Pack on the glass by a 39-29 margin.
The Pirates opened the season with a 63-47 win over Mercer on Nov. 16. Coach Willard's squad was picked to finish sixth in the Big East this season after compiling a 6-12 record in conference play last year.
