BOILING SPRINGS --- Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) tipped in a missed three-pointer by Tyler Strange (Leominster, Mass.) with 2.1 seconds left on Saturday evening, lifting Gardner-Webb to a 66-64 come-from-behind victory over Coastal Carolina in Big South Conference play.
With the win, Gardner-Webb (14-9, 6-4 Big South) climbs back to within two games of first-place High Point in the Big South standings, as the Runnin' Bulldogs currently sit in a three-way tie for fifth with Winthrop and Coastal Carolina (15-7, 6-4 Big South).
Gardner-Webb shot 45.1 percent from the floor on the night, including a 56 percent clip in the second half, while holding Coastal to a field goal percentage of 38.7 percent in the contest. The Chanticleers won the battle on the glass by a 45-30 margin, dominating the offensive boards, 17-3, while outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs in the paint, 38-30.
Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.) posted his 11th double-double of the season with game-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Runnin' Bulldogs, moving into fourth on the program's Division I scoring list with 1,082 career points. The junior forward also jumps into second in rebounds with 640 career boards, which puts him 10 shy of tying Brian Bender for first in the school's Division I history.
Nelson added 17 points and eight boards, including the game-winning tip-in with 2.1 seconds left, as Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in 10 points.
Strange made history of his own Saturday night, dishing out a game-high 13 assists to establish both a new career-high and a single-season program record with 175 dimes. The senior guard also jumps into fourth in Big South history with 566 career assists, and currently sits 10th among active leaders in Division I. Strange also tallied a game-high four steals.
Badou Diagne led the way for Coastal Carolina with a double-double, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 7-of-12 from the floor. Marcus Freeman added a double-double of his own with 10 points and 10 boards, as Elijah Wilson and Warren Gillis chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Both teams struggled out of the gate in the first half, combining for just seven points through the first six minutes, as Coastal took an early 7-0 lead on a Wiggins jumper at the 14:25 mark. Gardner-Webb would fight back over the next four minutes, trimming the margin to 11-8 with a Strange to Hill hook up at the 10:12 mark.
The Chanticleers answered with two quick buckets, pushing the lead back to seven with 8:02 to go on a driving layup by Wiggins. Gardner-Webb quickly countered with a surge of its own, scoring 17 of the next 20 points to claim a 25-18 advantage following a corner trey by Strange at the 3:19 mark.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would carry a six-point advantage into the break after Diagne tipped in a Gillis jumper with less than two seconds left in the half, cutting the margin to 29-23.
Gardner-Webb came out firing in the second half, opening its largest lead of the night at 43-31 following a nifty lay-in by Nelson off a feed from Strange at the 15:20 mark. The Chanticleers quickly responded, cutting the advantage to 43-42 with an 11-0 run before retaking the lead, 45-43, on a three-point play by Wilson with 12:17 to play.
Coastal pushed the margin to 52-47 moments later, when Colton Ray-St Cyr knocked down a tough layup with 7:49 left on the clock. After Gardner-Webb fought back to knot the score at 54-54, the Chants countered with six straight points, opening a 60-54 advantage following a pair of Gillis freebies at the 4:07 mark.
The Runnin' Bulldogs answered once again with 10 of the next 12 points, reclaiming a narrow 64-62 lead on a Hill layup with 25 seconds to play. Wilson responded for the Chants with a jumper, pulling Coastal even at 64-64 with 13 ticks left on the clock.
Nelson and the Runnin' Bulldogs delivered the game-winning bucket in the final moments, when Strange's last-second trey rimmed out and Nelson tipped in the rebound, giving Gardner-Webb a 66-64 advantage with 2.1 seconds left.
Coastal's last gasp effort fell just short, as Wilson's three-point attempt failed to make it to the rim as Gardner-Webb held on to sweep the season series with Coastal Carolina for the first time since the 2012-2013 campaign.
Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Tuesday, February 3 when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Farmville, Va. to take on Longwood in Big South play at 7:00 pm. The Runnin' Bulldogs won the first meeting of the season with the Lancers, 79-67, on January 22 in Paul Porter Arena.
