CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Gardner-Webb snapped its four-game losing streak with a hard-fought 68-59 Big South Conference win over Charleston Southern Saturday evening, hanging on for the nine-point victory despite being held to 24 percent from the floor in the second half.
With the win, Gardner-Webb (11-12, 6-4 Big South) kept pace with the league leaders after UNC Asheville (15-8, 8-3) and Winthrop (16-6, 8-3) both won earlier in the day. The loss drops Charleston Southern (8-14, 4-7) two games out of the battle for a first-round bye in the Big South Tournament.
Gardner-Webb shot 35.1 percent from the floor on the night, including a 43.8 percent clip in the second half, as Charleston Southern knocked down 35.2 percent overall for the contest. The Runnin' Bulldogs won the battle on the glass by a 43-39 margin, converting 13 offensive boards into 19 second-chance points, while sinking 22-of-33 attempts at the free throw line.
Dylan Poston (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) led four Runnin' Bulldogs in double figures with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including a 3-for-8 clip from downtown, as Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) nearly tallied a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds in his first start of the season. Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) and Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
McBride also dished out a game-high four assists, while L'Hassane Niangane (Chalon, France) turned in perhaps his best performance of the season with nine points and seven boards.
Armel Potter paced the Bucs with a game-high 17 points, converting 7-of-8 at the free throw line as Javis Howard fell one rebound short of a double-double with 13 points and nine boards. Reuben King pulled down eight boards while Demetrius Pollard scored eight points.
The Bucs took control early, opening the game with a 14-6 run that was capped by a Patrick Wallace trey at the 11:47 mark. Gardner-Webb's shooters came to life with a 27-5 surge over the next nine minutes, connecting on 5-of-7 from three-point range after missing their first seven to take a 33-19 lead on a Nelson lay-in with 1:42 left in the half.
The Runnin' Bulldog defense played a vital role in the 21-point swing over the final 11:30 of the first half, holding Charleston Southern to just two field goals in its last 18 attempts of the period after the Bucs started 6-of-10 from the floor. Gardner-Webb would finish the first half shooting 14-of-32 overall to carry a 35-22 advantage into the intermission.
Charleston Southern fought back early in the second half, cutting the lead to 42-32 with a 10-7 spurt after a King free throw at the 12:48 mark. After the Runnin' Bulldogs pushed the margin back to 16 – 50-34 – on a steal and a reverse by McBride, Charleston Southern answered with a 12-4 run to cut the advantage to 54-46 with 6:12 to play.
The Buccaneers would trim the margin further to 54-50 on a Potter bucket, but Gardner-Webb countered with some clutch free throw shooting, stretching the lead back to eight – 64-56 – on a pair of Niangane conversions with 56 ticks left.
The Runnin' Bulldogs finished out the win from there, converting six late free throws from Niangane, Burbage and Poston to equal the final margin of 68-59.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Wednesday, February 3 when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to High Point, N.C. to take on High Point at 7:00 pm. The Panthers won the first meeting of the season, 66-64, in Paul Porter Arena on December 5, 2015.
