CONWAY, S.C. --- Gardner-Webb placed four players in double figures, including 14 for senior Tyler Strange (Leominster, Mass.), as the Runnin' Bulldogs' furious second-half rally fell just short against third-seeded Coastal Carolina in a 73-70 loss in the semifinal round of the Big South Conference Championships on Saturday afternoon in The HTC Center.
Coastal Carolina (23-9) shot 50.9 percent from the floor in the contest, including a 51.7 percent clip in the first half, while holding Gardner-Webb (20-14) to a field goal percentage of 38.2 percent on the afternoon. The Chanticleers won the battle on the glass by a 41-28 margin, out-rebounding the Runnin' Bulldogs on the defensive end, 29-19. The Runnin' Bulldogs converted 17 Coastal turnovers into 15 points.
Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.) led the way for Gardner-Webb with 17 points and seven rebounds, converting 13-of-19 at the free throw line to set a new Big South single-season record with 216 conversions at the charity stripe.
Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) added 15 points with a 5-for-9 effort from the floor, as Strange chipped in 14 points to move into seventh on the program's Division I scoring list with 919 career points. The senior guard added four assists and a game-high three steals, as Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) posted 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting while pulling down seven boards.
Badou Diagne paced the Chanticleers with a game-high 19 points, connecting on 8-of-11 from the floor, as Elijah Wilson added 13 points off the bench. Tristan Curtis chipped in 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Coastal opened the first half strong, taking an early 7-2 lead on a jumper by Diagne at the 16:22 mark. The teams traded runs over the next seven minutes, with Gardner-Webb trimming the margin to 20-19 with a 9-4 spurt that was capped by a Strange jumper with 6:37 to play in the half.
Coastal would answer with a 14-5 run, pushing the advantage to 34-24 on a jumper by Cameron at the 1:04 mark. The Runnin' Bulldogs scored four of the period's final six points to close the gap to 36-28 at the break.
Gardner-Webb kept fighting in the opening minutes of the second half, cutting the lead to 45-40 on a three-ball by Burbage with 12:38 to play. Coastal would answer with two quick buckets, pushing the margin back to nine before Diagne knocked down a pair of treys to give the Chanticleers a 62-54 advantage with 6:16 left on the clock.
The Runnin' Bulldogs refused to give in, responding with an 11-6 spurt to make it a one-possession game at 68-65 on a Strange lay-in with 54.5 ticks left. Strange answered the call once again moments later, burying a three-pointer to cut the lead to 70-68 with 17 seconds remaining after Warren Gillis converted a pair of free throws.
Gillis repeated the feat on the next play, putting Coastal ahead 72-68 before Strange countered with another lay-in, trimming the margin back to two at 72-70 with nine ticks left.
Wilson drew the foul off the next inbound for Coastal, made the first and missed the second, giving the Runnin' Bulldogs a chance to tie with nine seconds left. Strange pushed it up the floor and got a good look from the top of the arc, but his shot hit iron and McBride's follow-up trey failed to fall, as Gardner-Webb's comeback effort came up just short.
Gardner-Webb now awaits a potential postseason tournament bid in hopes of continuing its season.
