BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Sophomore guard Darryl Simmons II scored a team-high 21 points, but the Gardner-Webb (10-17, 5-9) men's basketball team fell at home finale by the final of 90-67 to league-leading High Point (25-5, 13-2) on Saturday afternoon inside the Lutz Yelton Convocation Center.

Graduate guard Anthony Selden finished with 17 points and five boards while freshman guard Jacob Hudson chipped in 11 points to go along with a career-high six rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore guard Shahar Lazar pitched in 10 points off the bench, going 2-for-2 from three and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

The Runnin' Bulldogs shot 41.2% from the floor (21-51), including 37.5% from distance (6-16). High Point controlled the boards with a slim 36-35 advantage on the glass.
Simmons put the 'Dawgs ahead early with a three from the wing before HPU quickly raced back with eight in a row four minutes into the opening period of play. Hudso and Lazar went back-to-back with baskets, knotting the score at 8-all as the game remained highly contested.

With the score at 23-20 in favor of the Panthers, High Point reeled off 12 in a row while ballooning its advantage to double digits with less than six minutes to play before halftime. That lead climbed to as many as 20 (48-28) entering the intermission.

Five in a row by the Runnin' Bulldogs closed the deficit to 48-33 to begin the second half, however, High Point maintained a strong grip on the comfortable lead. A 10-3 spurt by Gardner-Webb allowed the Black and Red to climb within 61-50, but that would be as close as the score would get as HPU gained its largest lead, 88-63, enroute to the 90-67 win.

The Runnin' Bulldogs will return to the hardwood on Wednesday, February 26 as they welcome the Highlanders of Radford to Paul Porter Arena for the home finale. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.