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Box Score (PDF)
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – In a game that featured 28 lead changes and 10 ties, Gardner-Webb outlasted Campbell 71-68 Wednesday at Paul Porter Arena.
Tyrell Nelson missed a free throw with 1:15 to go, but gathered the loose ball and his dunk gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a 69-68 lead on GWU's 21st and 22nd second-chance points of the night.
D.J. Mason went to the line with 55.4 seconds left and missed both free throws, but Kyre' Hamer was fouled as he leapt for the rebound. Hamer, who entered the game shooting 76 percent from the line, missed both from the stripe.
After a Gardner-Webb shot clock violation, the Camels had another chance to take the lead, but Chris Clemons was called for traveling with 9.3 seconds to go. Harold McBride hit two from the stripe with 8.6 seconds to play to give GWU a 3-point lead.
As the clock wound down, Harper had a clean look from the right wing, but his 3-pointer that would have forced overtime fell just short.
The Camels (8-7, 2-3 Big South) made 14 of their first 21 shots in the second half and led 66-62 when Mason hit the front end of a 1-and-1 with 2:26 remaining. However, the Camels missed their last two shots from the floor and their last four from the line to suffer their second-straight loss.
Harper led Campbell with 16 points, including 7-of-7 from the line. Shane Whitfield added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 7 rebounds, while Mason had 10 points. Hamer, Clemons and Rod Days added 9 each for the Camels, who shot 48 percent for the game, made 6-of-18 threes and hit 16-of-24 (.667) from the stripe.
Gardner-Webb (9-8, 4-1) won its fourth-straight thanks to a 22-4 edge in second-chance points and a 47-27 advantage on the boards. Nelson scored 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end. Adonis Burbage scored 9 points for GWU, which shot 41.5 percent (27-65) from the floor, hit 4-of-20 threes, and 13-of-22 (.591) from the line.
In a first-half that saw the lead change 14 times, Gardner-Webb's Adonis Burbage hit a 3 just before the buzzer to put the hosts ahead 32-30. The Bulldogs opened the game on a 9-2 run, but Campbell answered with a 10-0 spurt.
After hitting career highs with 24 points and 15 rebounds last Saturday vs. Presbyterian, Mason scored just two points in the opening half and sat out the final 11:25 with two fouls.
Harper had nine first-half points to lead Campbell, which hit all nine of its foul shots to overcome 36 percent (9-25) shooting from the floor.
Nelson scored 10 first-half points for the hosts, who shot 36 percent (12-33) from the field and missed their first seven attempts beyond the arc before Burbage's trey at the horn.
The Camels finish a stretch of four road games in five outings Saturday in a 2:00 p.m. tip-off at Liberty. The Flames (4-13, 1-3) defeated two-time defending Big South champ Coastal Carolina 62-61 Wednesday night at Conway, S.C.
