RADFORD, Va. --- Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.) and Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) combined for 35 points to lead the way for Gardner-Webb on Saturday evening, as Radford opened the second half with a 20-9 surge to break a 33-33 halftime deadlock en route to a 72-62 win over the Runnin' Bulldogs in Big South Conference play.
Radford (21-10, 12-6 Big South) shot an even 50 percent in the contest, including a 17-of-33 (51.5 percent) clip in the second half, while holding Gardner-Webb (18-13, 10-8 Big South) to a field goal percentage of 36.7 percent on the day. The Highlanders won the battle on the glass by a 47-28 margin, including a 35-21 advantage on the defensive boards, while outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs in the paint, 40-20.
Hill led the way for Gardner-Webb with his 15th 20-point game of the season, scoring 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. With the effort, Hill moves into first on the program's Division I single-season scoring list, surpassing Thomas Sanders' total of 579 points from the 2007-2008 season. He also jumps into second on the school's Division I all-time list, passing Grayson Flittner and now stands at 1,239 career points.
Nelson added 15 points with a 6-for-12 night from the floor, while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Tyler Strange (Leominster, Mass.) and Jarvis Davis (Columbia, S.C.) chipped in nine and eight points, respectively, as Strange dished out a game-high seven assists.
Cameron Jones led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting while also pulling down seven boards. Javonte Green added a double-double with 21 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, as R.J. Price and YaYa Anderson each dished out four assists.
The Runnin' Bulldogs started strong, knocking down a pair of quick treys to take an early 6-2 advantage when Strange found Ivey for a wide open three at the 17:17 mark. Radford answered with an 11-4 run, claiming a 13-10 advantage after Jones connected from long range with 11:38 to go in the opening half.
Gardner-Webb countered with an 8-2 spurt, jumping back in front on a slam by Nelson that gave the Runnin' Bulldogs an 18-15 lead at the 9:22 mark. After Radford knotted the score at 20-20 with a three-point play by Green, Hill answered with an and-one play of his own, throwing down an emphatic dunk and converting the ensuing free throw to put the Runnin' Bulldogs back up, 23-20, with 8:04 on the clock.
Nelson would stretch the margin to 26-22 with a put back at the 6:04 mark before Radford responded with a 9-3 run, taking a 31-29 lead on a three by Jones with 2:57 to go in the half. Gardner-Webb countered with a 4-2 spurt to close out the half, evening the tally at 33-33 heading into the break following a late Hill jumper.
Radford started the second half on a 16-9 run, opening a 49-42 lead following a tough running jumper by Jones at the 12:10 mark. The Highlanders kept the pedal down over the next several minutes, extending the run to 20-9 with a steal and a bucket by Price with 10:37 to play that pushed the margin to 53-42.
Green and the Highlanders would stretch the advantage to 63-50 with 10 of the next 18 points, opening their largest lead to that point on a Rashun Davis jumper with 6:09 left on the clock. Gardner-Webb would close the gap to 65-57 with a 7-2 spurt, pulling to within eight on a trey by Strange at the 4:32 mark.
The Highlanders answered with seven of the game's final 12 points, closing out the victory and securing a first round bye in next week's VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Championships.
Gardner-Webb moves on to the Big South Tournament as the seventh seed, and will face 10th-seeded Campbell on Wednesday, March 4 at 2:00 pm in the tournament's first round.
