BOILING SPRINGS – Patrick Zeck's putback with 11.4 seconds left delivered Gardner-Webb to a 63-61 win over Charleston Southern Saturday afternoon in Paul Porter Arena.

Gardner-Webb (12-13, 7-5 Big South) ran its home win streak to 12 games (10-0 this season). Jaheam Cornwall and Liam O'Reilly each scored 14 points to lead five men in double figures. 

David Efianayi (13 points), Zeck (10 points, 7 rebounds) and DJ Laster (10 points) rounded out a balanced day offensively.

The Runnin' Bulldogs led 39-29 at halftime and built a 14-point lead in the second half before Charleston Southern (9-14, 4-8 Big South) began to slowly chip away. Gardner-Webb led 45-31 with 15:02 remaining in the game, when the Buccaneers used a quick, 5-0, burst to work the margin into single digits.

Gardner-Webb maintained a multiple possession cushion for much of the second half, going up 55-47 with 7:14 left on a three-pointer by David Efianayi.

After the two teams traded free throws with just under two minutes left, Gardner-Webb found itself with a five-point lead – 61-56 – with less than a minute to play. Charleston Southern went to sophomore scoring leader Christian Keeling on its end of the floor, and he rattled in a contested three-pointer with 46.7 seconds on the clock to cut the lead to 61-59.

Full court pressure followed, and Cortez Mitchell picked up a steal under the basket and laid it in with 40.1 seconds left to tie the score.

Gardner-Webb called timeout and, after a shot by Efianayi was knocked out of bounds with 16.7 seconds left, the Runnin' Bulldogs ran an inbounds play with seven seconds on the shot clock. Efianayi got off another clean look that hit back rim – but Zeck corralled the rebound and put the ball in before coming down to get the lead back.

Keeling went to the rim in an attempt to tie out of a Charleston Southern timeout, but his shot was off the mark against heavy pressure from the Runnin' Bulldogs in the paint.

Charleston Southern jumped out to a 4-0 lead and led by as many as five points in the first half. Zeck scored Gardner-Webb's first six points in the game, but it was Cornwall who sparked a big rally midway through the opening half.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., freshman hit a pair of three-pointers to spark an 11-3 run that turned the game's tide. That run put Gardner-Webb up 19-16 with 8:22 to play before the break.

Charleston Southern used a 6-2 run to go back in front, but Cornwall found Efianayi open for a three-pointer that put the Runnin' Bulldogs up for good with 5:52 left.

That trey started a 13-4 run that saw Gardner-Webb go up 37-26 with 1:03 left in the half. After Charleston Southern cut the lead back to single digits, O'Reilly drove for a runner with 6.7 seconds left for the halftime margin.

Gardner-Webb shot 53.3 percent in the first half to built its lead and finished the game at 43.9 percent (25-of-57). GWU had a tough second half from long distance, making just 2-of-12 chances, and finished 7-of-26 for the game (26.9 percent).

In addition to his scoring, Cornwall added four rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes off the bench. O'Reilly and Efianayi also had four assists in the game, as Gardner-Webb turned the ball over just seven times.

GWU forced 12 turnovers defensively, and turned those into 18 points. The 'Dogs also went inside effectively, owning a 34-24 edge in the paint.

Keeling led Charleston Southern with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting. The Buccaneers shot 39.2 percent for the game and made 5-of-18 from deep (27.8 percent). Free throw shooting kept the Bucs in the game, as the first 16 chances went through the net. Charleston Southern finished 16-of-17 on the day (94.1 percent).

Ty Jones finished with 10 points and nine rebounds from his forward spot, helping CSU own a 36-30 edge on the backboards.

Gardner-Webb will host Campbell on Wednesday night, February 7, with tip set for 7:00 pm on the Big South Network. Fabian Fuentes will have the call from Paul Porter Arena.