BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb men's basketball hosts Winthrop Wednesday night in another crucial Big South Conference game at 7:00 pm.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (15-11, 10-4 Big South) have a seven-game win streak intact heading into the regional rivalry game against the Eagles (11-16, 6-8 Big South) and sit just two games out of first place with four games remaining in league play.

Head coach Tim Craft has his team playing at a high level, particularly on the defensive end. Gardner-Webb paces the Big South in scoring defense (63.2 ppg), field goal percentage defense (39.7 percent) and blocked shots (4.8 bpg). GWU also ranks second in three-point field goal defense (31.8 percent) this season.

Gardner-Webb won a thriller on Saturday afternoon, beating Campbell 77-73 in overtime. The Runnin' Bulldogs kicked off their current seven-game surge with a 63-61 win on the road at Winthrop on January 21 behind 12 points from forward Ludovic Dufeal.

Since then, the 'Dogs have rattled off wins over USC Upstate (78-66), High Point (86-58), Charleston Southern (67-59), Presbyterian (56-48) and Radford (61-48) – as well as Saturday's win over Campbell.
 

DQ Nicholas has emerged as the team's leading scorer, averaging 12.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. Anthony Selden (11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Kareem Reid (10.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) also average double figures scoring, with Reid coming off a double-double vs. Campbell that saw him score 15 points to go with 12 boards.

Gardner-Webb also got a healthy contribution from its bench vs. the Camels, with Quest Aldridge going for 16 points and Caleb Robinson working inside for seven. Dufeal came off the bench for five points and seven rebounds – and swatted away three shots.

Craft's team has now won at least 10 conference games in nine of the last 10 seasons – and has never suffered a losing Big South campaign under Craft's watch.

The head coach is one of five head coaches in league history to reach the 100-win plateau and is only two wins away from tying former Winthrop boss Gregg Marshall (104 wins) on the all-time league wins list.

Winthrop provides a formidable matchup, with forwards Kelton Talford (15.6 ppg) and Cory Hightower (13.1 ppg) among the best front court players in the conference. 

Guard Sin'Cere McMahon (13.5 ppg) also scores at a high clip, with Toneari Lane (10.5 ppg) and Kasen Harrison (10.5 ppg) also hitting for double figures.

Wednesday night's battle will stream live on ESPN+ (WatchESPN.com) with Phil Constantino and Jerry Dunn. Jim Morrison will provide the radio call on ESPNCLT.com.