BUIES CREEK, N.C. --- Campbell shot 58 percent in the second half, and erased a seven-point deficit with less than three minutes remaining in regulation en route to an 89-85 overtime win over Gardner-Webb in Big South Conference play on Thursday night.
With the victory, Campbell (9-15, 3-11 Big South) snaps a 10-game losing streak as Gardner-Webb (13-13, 8-6 Big South) drops out of the top five into sixth in the conference standings. The Camels connected on 53.7 percent of their attempts from the floor overall – including a 17-for-31 clip over the final 25 minutes – while holding Gardner-Webb to a field goal percentage of 42.4 percent on the night.
Gardner-Webb won the battle on the glass by a 35-33 margin, converting 15 offensive boards into 19 second-chance points, while knocking down 17-of-19 attempts at the charity stripe.
Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) led the Runnin' Bulldogs with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting – including a 6-for-10 night from downtown – as Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) added 18 points and four assists. Dylan Poston (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and Isaiah Ivey (Georgetown, Ky.) chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively. L'Hassane Niangane (Chalon, France) posted seven points and six boards.
Chris Clemons paced all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with a game-high seven rebounds. Troy Harper added 16 points with a 10-for-12 night at the free throw line, as D.J. Mason and Shane Whitfield chipped in 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Gardner-Webb caught fire from outside early in the first half, knocking down its first four attempts from long range to snatch a 15-5 lead on a trey from Ivey at the 14:31 mark. Campbell would quickly counter with a 14-2 surge, claiming its first advantage of the night – 19-17 – following a Clemons jumper with 9:58 left in the period.
The Runnin' Bulldogs answered with a 12-2 run of their own, retaking the lead at 31-21 after Ivey nailed a jumper and Poston converted a pair of free throws at the 5:27 mark. A 13-5 spurt from Campbell finished out the first half, as the Camels trimmed the margin to 36-34 at the intermission following a last-second Clemons trey.
Gardner-Webb responded with a 7-2 run to start the second half, stretching the lead back to seven at 43-36 following a three-ball from Burbage with 16:27 to play. Campbell quickly answered with a 15-7 surge, cutting the margin to one on a Whitfield lay-in before Mason put the Camels ahead 51-50 with a bucket at the 11:44 mark.
Both teams got hot from the floor during the middle to late stages of the second half, combining to hit nine straight shots as Gardner-Webb took a 73-66 lead into the final three and a half minutes after a nifty lay-in by McBride.
Campbell would finish regulation with a 12-5 run, trimming the margin to 78-76 on a Harper jumper before a pair of Rod Days free throws sent the game to overtime knotted at 78-78.
The Camels carried the momentum into the extra period, connecting on an early trey through Khadre' Lane to take an 82-78 lead before McBride answered with a three of his own to cut the margin to 82-81 with 1:59 to go.
Lane responded with his second three-ball of the period on the ensuing possession, putting Campbell up 85-81 at the 1:40 mark. The Camels would seal the victory from there, converting four clutch free throws in the waning moments to equal the final margin of 89-85.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Saturday in the second of its two-game road swing, as the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Conway, S.C. to take on Coastal Carolina at 2:00 pm in Big South play.
