HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb (7-10, 2-2) men's basketball team was handed a lopsided 96-55 loss at league-leading High Point (15-4, 3-1) on Saturday evening inside the Qubein Center.
 
Sophomore guard Darryl Simmons II was the lone member of the Runnin' Bulldogs to crack double-digit scoring, ending the night with 10 points. Three other players contributed seven points each. Forwards Jamaine Mann and Isaiah Richards led GWU with seven rebounds each.
 
The early portion of the contest was competitive as Simmons drained a triple to give Gardner-Webb a 3-2 lead with less than a minute off the clock in the first half. However, an 11-2 burst by the Panthers created separation over the visitors that continued to grow the remainder of the period.
 
High Point was able to double-up the 'Dawgs on several occasions over the first 20 minutes as it took a commanding 53-23 lead into the halftime intermission.
 
Gardner-Webb, facing its biggest deficit of the season, came out strong in the second half after Richards connected on a layup while trimming the deficit to 57-32 but nine in a row by the Panthers ran the lead out to 66-32.
 
From that point, it was all Purple and White as High Point did not allow the Runnin' Bulldogs to come closer than 31 points (66-35) enroute to the big win.
 
Gardner-Webb will return to action on Wednesday, January 15, traveling to the state of Virginia, facing off against Radford in Big South action. Tip for that contest is slated for 7 p.m.