BUIES
CREEK,
N.C. – Gardner-Webb shot 60 percent from the
floor and handed Campbellan
86-70 loss Saturday
in Atlantic Sun Conference men's
basketball action at Paul Porter Arena.
The Bulldogs (13-13, 7-5)
dealt Campbell its third-straight loss by converting 20 Camels
turnovers into 31 points and posting a 23-0 edge in fast break
points. GWU made 10
three-pointers in 18 attempts, including 7-of-10 in the opening
period.
Grayson Flittner and Aaron
Linn led Gardner-Webb with 19 points each and combined to shoot
15-of-24 from the field, 6-of-10 from 3-point range, and deal 11
assists with no turnovers.
Thomas Sanders added 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Nate Blank
added 12. Flittner hit
7-of-13 from the field, 3-of-7 from long range and added five
assists. Linn made 8-of-11
from the field, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and had six
assists.
Jonathan Rodriguez led
Campbell (10-15, 5-7) with 34 points – 26 in the second half
– to tie his career high, plus nine rebounds. Reggie Bishop scored 10, while
freshman walk-on Jonathan Perry added a season-high nine by canning
3-straight triples to end the night.
Rodriguez hit 13-of-22 from
the field and 8-of-9 from the stripe to match the total he scored
in December at UNC Asheville. The sophomore forward from Miami,
Fla., has scored in double figures in all 25 games this season and
33-straight contests dating to last year.
The Bulldogs, who won their
third-straight game, led by as many as 29 before the Camels closed
the game on an 18-5 run.
The 16-point decision was Campbell's worst loss margin in league
play this season. Campbell
defeated GWU 93-73 last month at Buies Creek.
The Camels shot 47 percent
(26-55) from the field, but missed eight of their first nine
3-pointers before Perry's final spurt. Campbell finished with a 32-28 edge on
the glass and a 21-10 advantage in second-chance points.
Gardner-Webb made 11 of its
first 18 shots and built a 27-17 lead on Sanders' bucket with 6:11
left in the opening period.
The Bulldogs then went on a 13-2 run (which included back-to-back
threes from Linn) and led 42-28 at the break after hitting 7-of-10
threes in the period.
Campbell missed its first six threes
of the game and saw the Bulldogs score 17 points off 10 Camel
turnovers in the opening half. Gardner-Webb shot 61.5 percent (16-26)
from the field and led by as many as 16 in the first half. Linn had 15 points on 6-of-7
shooting – including 3-of-3 triples – while Flittner
added 10 (2-of-4 from long range).
The Camels return to action
at home for their last two games at Carter Gym – Feb. 21 vs.
USC Upstate and Feb. 25 against East Tennessee State.
