BOILING SPRINGS --- Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.) poured in a game-high 28 points to move into eighth on the program's all-time scoring list, and added a career-best 19 rebounds to lead Gardner-Webb to its third straight win with a 74-68 victory over Furman on Saturday evening in Paul Porter Arena.
Gardner-Webb (6-4) notches its third consecutive win and improves to a perfect 4-0 in Paul Porter Arena this season, knocking down 46.6 percent of its shots from the floor Saturday evening while holding Furman (2-6) to a 10-for-14 night at the free throw line.
The Runnin' Bulldogs won the battle on the glass by a 41-34 margin, including a 13-6 advantage on the offensive glass, while converting those 13 offensive boards into 16 second-chance points. Gardner-Webb tallied 22 assists on 27 made field goals, and led for more than 31 minutes en route to victory.
Hill led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting while hauling down a career-high 19 rebounds to post his fourth double-double of the season. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward added a personal-best four blocks on the night.
Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in 19 points, six boards and three blocks, as Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) scored a career-high 14 points with a 5-for-10 evening from the floor. Tyler Strange (Leominster, Mass.) dished out a game-high seven assists for Gardner-Webb.
Stephen Croone paced the Paladins with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting, knocking down a pair of threes while going 7-for-8 at the line. Geoff Beans added 11 points with a 4-for-6 night from the floor, as Kendrec Ferrara chipped in nine points, nine boards and three blocks. Kris Acox and Devin Sibley each tallied eight points.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to a quick 7-2 advantage in the first half before Furman answered, closing the gap to 9-7 before taking its first lead of the game at 12-9 on a Ferrara trey with 14:28 left on the clock. The Runnin' Bulldogs wasted little time responding, stringing together an 18-5 run to open their largest lead of the night at 27-19 on a Burbage jumper at the 8:03 mark.
Furman fought back once again, trimming the margin to two at 27-25 following a pair of Croone freebies to cap a 6-0 spurt. The Paladins kept pushing over the next four minutes, taking a 31-29 advantage with an Acox jumper before Gardner-Webb countered, closing the half on a 7-4 run to carry a narrow 36-35 lead into the intermission after a late jumper from Hill.
The teams battled for every ball throughout the second half, with Furman claiming an early 38-36 advantage on a Croone trey just 20 seconds into the period. Gardner-Webb would answer with a 13-5 run, taking a 49-43 lead following a three-pointer by Burbage to cap the spurt with 13:48 to play.
The Paladins quickly countered with a 13-9 spurt of their own, trimming the margin to 58-56 on a trey by Daniel Fowler at the 6:00 mark. Gardner-Webb would respond once again, scoring nine of the next 12 points to push the lead to 67-59 with a three-point play by Hill with 2:46 to go.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would close out the victory from there, maintaining at least a five-point lead in the final two minutes to push their win streak to three and avenge last season's loss to the Paladins.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Wednesday, December 17 when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Jacksonville, Fla. for a 7:00 pm matchup with Jacksonville University.
