ROCK HILL, S.C. – Sophomore guard Darryl Simmons II scored a career-high 40 points, but it was not enough as the Gardner-Webb (9-13, 4-5) men's basketball team dropped a 96-93 affair at Winthrop (15-9, 5-4) on Saturday afternoon inside the Winthrop Coliseum.
 
Simmons produced a phenomenal day shooting the ball, knocking down 13-of-22 shots, including a personal-best 8-for-12 from distance. He was also able to go a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Graduate forward Jamaine Mann was the only other Runnin' Bulldog to hit double-digits, posting 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
 
Mann connected on two of the first three shots for the 'Dawgs while giving Gardner-Webb an 11-7 lead early in the first period following a three-pointer by redshirt-sophomore Shahar Lazar.
 
Gardner-Webb maintained the slim advantage until the Eagles' K.J. Doucet nailed a shot from beyond the arc with 11:22 left, giving the home team a 21-19 lead. Simmons knocked down back-to-back threes before an old-fashioned three-point play by Mann pushed GWU back ahead 32-26.
 
However, Winthrop used a run of 15-3 over three minutes of game action while taking a 41-35 spread with less than two minutes to play in the opening 20. Gardner-Webb outscored the Eagles 5-4 down the stretch, but it would be WU taking a 45-40 lead into the break.
 
The second half was highly contested as the initial 32 points were exchanged as Winthrop held a 61-56 advantage five minutes in. That lead ballooned to double-digits, 76-66, following a dunk by Kelton Talford. However, a tough layup from senior Isaiah Richards sparked a quick 6-0 to keep the 'Dawgs within striking distance.
 
Trailing 87-84, Lazar and Simmons went back-to-back with a layup and three-pointer, respectively, giving Gardner-Webb an 89-87 lead with 3:56 on the clock. After the Eagles took the lead back, Simmons nailed his eighth three of the game to give GWU a 92-91 advantage a minute later.
 
From that point, the game was nip-and-tuck as the Eagles were able to soar ahead 96-93 following one-of-two from the line by Kasen Harrison. Gardner-Webb had one last look at the tie, but the attempt glanced off the front of the rim, allowing the Eagles to escape with a the single possession win.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs will be back in action on Thursday, February 6, traveling to Asheville, N.C. to face the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville. That contest is slated for a 9 p.m. start and will be broadcasted on ESPNU.