VIDEO: Coach Craft Postgame Press Conference
QUOTES: Coach Craft
 
DURHAM, N.C. – Gardner-Webb went toe-to-toe with No. 7 Duke through the opening 10 minutes of the first half, but the Blue Devils used a hot shooting night paired with a strong defensive effort to push past the Runnin' Bulldogs, 92-52, inside of sold-out Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night.
 
Duke shot 57.1% (36-of-63) from the floor and 53.1% (10-of-22) from beyond the arc, while clamping down on defense and holding Gardner-Webb to just 36.8% (21-of-57) shooting and 2-of-16 from downtown.
 
Junior Lance Terry went 6-of-12 and led the 'Dogs with 15 points and two steals. Junior Kareem Reid posted 14 points – two shy of a career high set last time out at No. 16 Arkansas – to go with five rebounds and two steals, while sophomore Anthony Selden added a season-high nine points and team-leading six boards.
 
"We struggled to get good shots," said head coach Tim Craft. "We're trying to get the ball into the paint every possession before we shoot – and we might spray it out, shoot the three – and we can get it there, but [Mark] Williams was unbelievable tonight blocking shots. He's one of the better shot blockers I remember seeing live, and I thought he just changed everything inside."
 
Gardner-Webb held its own early on as the two teams traded leads throughout the opening eight minutes of the first half. A strong finish at the rim through contact from Terry gave GWU its first lead of the evening just over four minutes in, and freshman Julien Soumaoro stayed hot to put the Runnin' Bulldogs back on top by one, 9-8, with a 3-pointer from straightaway at the 13:23 mark.
 
Reid then followed up a pair of free throws with a strong finish inside to give the 'Dogs their last advantage of the evening with 12:14 to play, 13-12.
 
Gardner-Webb started the game 5-for-12 from the floor and ultimately held a lead for a total of 1:41 before Duke took over. The Blue Devils then hit nine of their next 10 shots and went on to finish the half on a 35-14 run to take a 47-27 lead into the locker room.
 
Duke continued to roll out of the break, surging to an 11-2 run to open the second half and ultimately outscoring the 'Dogs, 45-25, over the final 20 minutes.
 
"One of the things you take away is that the season is going to be filled with some frustration and some disappointment," said Craft. "That's part of life; that's part of a basketball season. You're going to face some adversity. That's part of the reason why we schedule hard games, we face that adversity early and hopefully it strengthens us and helps us as we get into league play, so that we're not going to crack when things start going south. Hopefully that's something we can take from it, and we'll be a group that bounces back and practices great tomorrow and has a great week."

Soumaoro paced GWU with four assists, while sophomore D'Maurian Williams added three to go with four rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Sears led all guards with five boards of his own to accompany his five points, one assist and one steal.

In all, seven different Runnin' Bulldogs found their way into the scoring column on the night. 
 
After putting a wrap on its three-game road trip to start the season, two games of which came against nationally ranked opponents, Gardner-Webb will now return to the friendly confines of Paul Porter Arena as the Runnin' Bulldogs welcome men's basketball back to Boiling Springs for their home opener versus Carver on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m.   
 
"I think we have a team that's pretty connected," Craft concluded regarding Gardner-Webb's three-game road trip to start the season. "We had a really close one at UNLV, one we could've easily won. Arkansas was about a 10-minute stretch where we really struggled and then played very well to finish the game, and then this one was just tough from about after the first 10 minutes on. But I think our guys stay together, they keep trying to listen, and I think we've got a group that's pretty coachable, so I'm excited about this group as we get into January and February and continue to improve in the Big South."