BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Jose Perez forced overtime with a driving runner in traffic with 11.8 seconds left and added an additional five points in the extra period en route to a career-high 24 points as Gardner-Webb topped Kennesaw State, 81-77.
After Gardner-Webb (7-5) opened up an eight-point lead less than five minutes into the contest, the Owls of Kennesaw State went on a 22-6 run over the next 8:19 to lead 26-18 with 6:02 left in the half.
The Runnin' Bulldogs pulled within two, 30-28, with 1:20 remaining until the break, but four straight points gave the visitors a six-point lead, 34-28 at the half.
Kennesaw State (1-9) doubled its lead over the first 4:55 of the second half. The Owls' lead hovered around 12 points until Gardner-Webb embarked on an 8-0 run beginning with a
Jaheam Cornwall three-pointer after the under-12 media timeout.
Cornwall contributed a triple, while
DJ Laster added five points to trim KSU's lead to four, 55-51 with less than 10 minutes left.
Despite slicing into the Owls' advantage, Gardner-Webb could not get over the hump until late in the half. With 2:32 remaining,
David Efianayi sank a pair of free throws to tie the contest at 66-all. Just over one minute later, the Orlando, Fla. Native sank two more at the charity stripe to give GWU its first lead since the halfway point of the opening half.
The Owls' Tyler Hooker and Isaac Mbuyamba helped Kennesaw State regain a one-possession lead, 70-68, with 26 seconds left, but Perez's layup with 14 ticks left on the clock tied the ballgame. Hooker's three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark, and Gardner-Webb headed into its second overtime game of the season.
In overtime, Perez gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a four-point lead, but Kennesaw State would not go away, pulling within a single bucket on two occasions.
With his team in front, 77-75, Efianayi sank three of his next four free throws to make it a two-possession game, 80-75, with just 11 seconds left.
Hooker would score the Owls' final bucket of the game, a meaningless layup with four seconds remaining, and Efianayi went 1-for-2 at the line as the 'Dogs earned an 81-77 victory.
In addition to Perez's career-high, Efianayi crossed the 20-point plateau, scoring 21 points, while Laster contributed 15 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds in the non-conference matchup.
Kennesaw State placed three in double figures. Hooker scored 18 points on 5-of-17 shooting, while Bryson Lockley added 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds and Kosta Jankovic contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds.
After shooting just 34.6 percent (9-of-26) in the opening half, the Runnin' Bulldogs shot 52 percent (13-of-25) during its second half comeback and went 3-of-6 in overtime. Kennesaw State opened the contest by shooting 51.9 percent (15-of-29) in the first half before cooling off. The Owls shot 42.2 percent (27-of-64 for the game).
The victory was Gardner-Webb's fourth consecutive on its home floor and first overtime win of the season. Next up, the 'Dogs will travel to Georgia Tech on Monday, December 17 for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
