RADFORD, Va. – The Gardner-Webb (7-11, 2-3) men's basketball team was unable to hold a halftime lead, falling at Radford (13-6, 3-1) in Big South Conference action on Wednesday evening.
 
Sophomore guard Darryl Simmons II led the Runnin' Bulldogs with 18 points while graduate forward Jamaine Mann chipped in 16 in the loss. Junior guard Pharrell Boyogueno also clipped double-digits with 12. Redshirt senior forward Isaiah Richards nearly missed a double-double with nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
After Radford opened the game with the first basket, the Runnin' Bulldogs ripped off seven straight, capped by a layup from Selden at the 17:49 mark of the opening period. From that point, the game became a back-and-forth affair as neither team could push ahead by more than three points.
 
The Highlanders regained the lead following a jumper by Ibu Yamazaki but senior forward Ademide Badmus connected on a pair from the charity stripe while sparking an 8-0 run by the visitors, giving GWU a 19-12 advantage midway through.
 
Radford pushed ahead 22-21, but the 'Dawgs closed the half outscoring the Highlanders 15-9 over the final 7:45, taking a 36-31 lead into the break.
 
Richards made true on a pair of free throws to begin the second half while Gardner-Webb scored four of the first five to extend its lead to 40-32 early on. However, Radford found its rhythm on the offensive end, ripping off 11 in a row while pushing ahead 53-48 with less than 13 minutes to play.
 
Simmons put an end to the run with a jumper at the top of the key but offense was at a premium for both teams as the Runnin' Bulldogs were able to battle back to knot the score at 58-all following a tough layup by Mann.
 
After Radford took the lead back on a pair of occasions, Simmons connected on an old-fashioned three-point play to give GWU a 66-65 lead with 4:26 on the clock. Unfortunately, that would be the last lead for the 'Dawgs as Radford closed the game with a 14-9 run to steal the 79-75 win at home.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Saturday, January 18 as it plays host to USC Upstate at 4 p.m. inside Paul Porter Arena.