RADFORD, Va. – Jaheam Cornwall and Nate Johnson each scored 19 points to lead Gardner-Webb to a 70-62 win at first-place Radford Saturday afternoon.
 
The win was the fourth in a row for Gardner-Webb (15-15, 11-7 Big South) and seventh in the last eight outings. GWU led for 37:43 on Saturday and by as many as 15 points.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs shot 51.0 percent from the floor, made 10 three-pointers and weathered a second half rally to snap a 10-game win streak by Radford (20-10, 15-3 Big South).
 
Cornwall scored six points in a 14-5 run that opened the game up over a five-minute stretch in the first half, giving Gardner-Webb a 24-13 lead with 10:05 remaining before intermission. GWU made 6-of-8 shots – including a pair of Cornwall treys – during that spurt.
 
Radford would not allow itself to fall too far behind on Senior Day, responding with a 9-0 run of its own to pull within 24-22 on an Eke Devine dunk with 5:37 on the first half clock. Gabe Bryant halted the rally with a layup off a feed from Cornwall and Cornwall connected on a driving layup to regain momentum.
 
Cornwall and Bryant each scored again in the final 80 seconds of the half to put Gardner-Webb up 33-26 at the break.
 
Gardner-Webb came out of the locker room on fire, going on an 11-4 run to open up a 44-30 lead with 17:09 to play on a Johnson dunk – which came off a steal by Ludovic Dufeal. The 'Dogs made five-straight field goals in that rally and still led by double figures after Cornwall drained his fifth three-pointer of the game with 13:28 to play – giving Gardner-Webb a 49-39 lead.
 
Cornwall went down with an injury soon after and Gardner-Webb was further hampered when Johnson was tagged quickly with his third and fourth fouls in less than a one-minute span. With its two most effective scorers on the bench, the Runnin' Bulldogs had to buckle down defensively – and were able to hold the lead despite a fierce Radford rally.
 
Justin Jenkins extended the lead to 54-39 on a three with 12:49 left, but Radford outscored Gardner-Webb 14-2 over the next 6:37 to pull within 56-53 on a Devonte Holland bucket. The Runnin' Bulldogs were able to slow down the rally at times, but the Highlanders made 6-of-9 shots to pull closer just before the final media timeout.
 
Head coach Tim Craft inserted Johnson back into the lineup with four fouls and the move proved very wise, as the Miami, Fla., junior stepped up to knock down a pair of three-pointers within two minutes to push the lead to 62-53 with 2:11 remaining.
 
Johnson answered a Radford trey with a long jumper to put Gardner-Webb up by eight with 45.3 seconds to play, and made two of Gardner-Webbs six free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
 
Cornwall's day was in the process of becoming one for the ages, as the Brooklyn, N.Y., junior made 7-of-7 field goals and all five of his three-point attempts en route to his 19 points. Cornwall also dished off three assists and grabbed three boards in just 25 minutes.
 
Johnson made 7-of-11 shots from the floor and pilfered two steals before fouling out late. Eric Jamison, Jr., added 11 points and seven rebounds, Kareem Reid scored eight points and Ludovic Dufeal blocked three shots, grabbed five rebounds and had three steals in a strong defensive effort.
 
Radford shot 44.8 percent from the floor (26-of-58), but struggled from long range, making just 6-of-22 three-pointers (27.3 percent). The Highlanders shot only six free throws in the game (4-of-6) and saw Gardner-Webb own a 33-28 edge on the backboards.
 
The backcourt duo of Travis Fields, Jr. (22 points) and Carlik Jones, Jr. (15 points) led the Highlanders' scoring. Holland netted 12 points and corralled nine rebounds down low for Radford.
 
Gardner-Webb will head back to Radford on Thursday, taking on the winner of the 6/11 matchup at 2:00 pm in the second quarterfinal in the Dedmon Center. The game will stream live on ESPN3.