CONWAY, S.C. --- Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.) recorded a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) added 15 points and nine boards to lead seventh-seeded Gardner-Webb to a 72-64 win over 10th-seeded Campbell in the first round of the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Championships on Wednesday afternoon in The HTC Center.
With the win, Gardner-Webb (19-13) advances to the quarterfinal round to take on second-seeded High Point on Friday evening at 6:00 pm. The Runnin' Bulldogs dominated the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Campbell (10-22) by a 40-25 margin, including a 17-10 advantage on the offensive boards.
Gardner-Webb shot 42 percent from the floor in the contest, including an even 50 percent in the first half, while holding Campbell to a field goal percentage of 41.8 percent on the afternoon. The Runnin' Bulldogs knocked down 8-of-20 from downtown, including a 6-for-11 mark in the opening 20 minutes, while converting 22-of-30 at the free throw line.
Hill paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with his 16th double-double of the season, pouring in 17 points with a 7-for-12 afternoon from the free throw line, while pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds. Nelson and Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) each added 15 points, as Nelson grabbed nine boards and McBride converted all eight of his free throw attempts.
Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) and Dylan Poston (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) chipped in 10 and nine points, respectively, while Tyler Strange (Leominster, Mass.) dished out a game-high six assists.
Curtis Phillips led the way for Campbell with a game-high 20 points, connecting on 9-of-19 from the floor and pulling down six boards. Reco McCarter and Troy Harper added 13 points each, as McCarter registered a game-high three blocks.
The Runnin' Bulldogs got off to a strong start in the first half, opening an early 12-5 lead on a nifty backdoor look from Hill to McBride for an easy lay-in at the 15:49 mark. Campbell answered with a 5-1 spurt, closing the gap to 13-10 with 10:09 to go after both teams endured a scoring drought of more than four minutes.
Poston responded for Gardner-Webb, connecting from downtown on back-to-back possessions to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a 19-10 advantage at the 9:18 mark. After Campbell trimmed the margin to 19-15 with a 5-0 spurt, Gardner-Webb answered with a 12-6 run, opening a 31-21 lead following a McBride trey with 4:43 left on the clock.
The Runnin' Bulldogs kept pushing, extending the run to 21-6 over the next four minutes and stretching the lead to 40-21, with Nelson capping the spurt with six of his 11 first half points. Campbell would tally the final five points of the period, cutting the advantage to 40-26 heading into the break.
The Camels carried the momentum into the second half, extending the spurt to a 9-0 run that was capped by a Phillips lay-in with 17:24 to play. Gardner-Webb would answer with seven of the next nine points, pushing the margin back to 15 at 47-32 with 14:31 remaining on the clock.
Campbell closed the gap to single digits on several occasions over the next 10 minutes, cutting the lead to 57-49 on a bucket by Phillips at the 5:21 mark to cap a 5-0 spurt. Burbage responded with a clutch three-pointer, pushing the lead back to double digits to kick-start a 6-3 spurt that stretched the margin to 66-53 with 2:03 to play.
The Camels made a late push in the final moments, with Phillips knocking down a trey and Nehemiah Mabson adding a tip-in off the ensuing inbound to cut the lead to 70-64 with seven ticks left. McBride would answer at the free throw line, sinking both shots after drawing the foul moments later to close out the 72-64 victory.
Gardner-Webb now advances to the quarterfinal round, where the seventh-seeded Runnin' Bulldogs will square off with the second-seeded High Point Panthers (22-8) on Friday evening at 6:00 pm. The game will air live on ESPN3.
