BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb made 16 consecutive baskets during a decisive 43-19 stretch that spanned both halves, and went on to an 87-66 win over USC Upstate Saturday afternoon in men's basketball action.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (3-6) broke an 18-18 tie with 9:28 left on Jaheam Cornwall's first three-pointer of the game, and made their final 12 field goals of the first half to lead 52-30 at intermission. Gardner-Webb then made its first four shots in the second half, as the lead grew to 64-37 with 14:32 remaining in the game.

Gardner-Webb shot 67.9 percent in the first half and 66.7 percent in the second half – finishing with a sizzling 67.4 percent effort for the game (29-of-43). That included an efficient 10-of-14 effort from long range (71.4 percent) and 24 assists on 29 made baskets.

"We were coming off a couple of tough losses up in Ohio and we really needed to feel a win," said head coach Tim Craft. "Our defense was tighter today than it had been, we rebounded misses well and our offense was really efficient. All of our guys shared the ball, our movement was good and we took good shots."

Liam O'Reilly led the way with 19 points and added four assists and five rebounds. DJ Laster scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half and made both of his three-point attempts. Cornwall added 11 points, six assists and made all three of his field goal attempts.

Patrick Zeck was a late addition to the starting lineup and responded – recording his first career double-double in his first career start. The Atlanta, Ga., sophomore finished with career-highs in points (13) and rebounds (14), shooting 5-of-5 from the floor and dishing off two assists in 26 minutes.

Zeck's effort on the glass was nearly more effective than Upstate's entire squad, as Gardner-Webb outrebounded the Spartans (3-7) by a 38-15 margin. Zeck did finish with 11 defensive rebounds, which was more than the entire USC Upstate lineup (10).

Gardner-Webb averaged an impressive 1.381 points per possession, scored 38 points in the paint and had an 11-0 edge in transition. 

The Spartans started the game hot, making three of their first four shots from the floor to take an early lead. After Ramel Thompkins made three free throws with 14:34 left in the half, Upstate led 14-12. The Spartans' largest lead came with 12:41 left in the opening stanza, when Isaiah Anderson drove for a layup for an 18-14 lead.

A tip in by Brandon Miller and a pair of free throws by Laster tied the score, and Gardner-Webb caught fire from there. Ball movement and timely passing were on display, as the 'Dogs shared assists on 15 of their first 16 made baskets.

The Spartans, who came in averaging 76.0 points per game, finished at 41.1 percent on Saturday (23-of-56), with a 10-for-29 effort (34.5 percent) in the opening half allowing Gardner-Webb to pull away.

Malik Moore (12 points) and Jure Span (10 points) led the Spartans offensively.

Saturday's game was a non-conference affair between the two squads and was the first meeting since 2008 between programs separated by 35 miles. USC Upstate will join the Big South Conference for the 2018-2019 season.

Gardner-Webb gets back on the road on Wednesday (December 6), traveling to Auburn for an 8:00 pm tip.