Spring Break
Bulldogs bolt past bears
Jacob Conley
Issue date: 2/20/04 Section: Sports
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The Gardner-Webb Running Bulldogs raced to 12-0 lead, and held on for an eight-point victory against the Mercer Bears Saturday, 85-77. The early game spurt was highlighted by a dunk by senior center Tim Behrendorff, a play that electrified the home crowd.
"That was one of the best crowds we've had all year," said head coach Rick Scruggs. "I think our crowd is worth eight to 10 points."
GWU (7-18, 4-12 A-Sun) shot a 56 percent clip from beyond the arc for the game, connecting on 14 of their 25 three point attempts. Josh Chiles led the offensive attack with a career -high 27 points, including
hitting four of six from three-point line.
Even though Gardner-Webb held a double-digit lead for much of the first half, Mercer (10-15, 7-9 A-Sun) closed to within six points at halftime 40-34. The Bears continued to draw closer in the second half, capitalizing on a five minute GWU scoring drought. The Bears shaved GWU's lead to 58-56 with just over nine minutes left in the game.
A three pointer by reserve Bret Noonan pushed the Bulldog lead to five, and Mercer never recovered. Noonan drained another three pointer and Chiles was fouled on his. After converting his foul shots, Chiles and the Bulldogs capped an 11-0 run and regained a double-digit lead.
Down by such a large margin, Mercer was forced to start fouling. Chiles and the Dogs responded by hitting 15 out of 17 free throw attempts over the last two minutes of the game to reach the final margin of victory.
"Mercer had a good game plan," said Scruggs. "They forced us to hit a lot of free throws instead of just one or two. Fortunately, the guys on the floor stepped up."
The Bulldogs close out the home season next Friday when they take on Campbell. Comcast Sports Southeast will broadcast the game to over four million people in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Students who wear red to the game will be automatically entered in a drawing to win prizes. The first three hundred fans receive a free Bulldog spirit towel.
"I really appreciated the fan support tonight," said Scruggs. "I want to encourage everyone to come out on Friday."
"That was one of the best crowds we've had all year," said head coach Rick Scruggs. "I think our crowd is worth eight to 10 points."
GWU (7-18, 4-12 A-Sun) shot a 56 percent clip from beyond the arc for the game, connecting on 14 of their 25 three point attempts. Josh Chiles led the offensive attack with a career -high 27 points, including
hitting four of six from three-point line.
Even though Gardner-Webb held a double-digit lead for much of the first half, Mercer (10-15, 7-9 A-Sun) closed to within six points at halftime 40-34. The Bears continued to draw closer in the second half, capitalizing on a five minute GWU scoring drought. The Bears shaved GWU's lead to 58-56 with just over nine minutes left in the game.
A three pointer by reserve Bret Noonan pushed the Bulldog lead to five, and Mercer never recovered. Noonan drained another three pointer and Chiles was fouled on his. After converting his foul shots, Chiles and the Bulldogs capped an 11-0 run and regained a double-digit lead.
Down by such a large margin, Mercer was forced to start fouling. Chiles and the Dogs responded by hitting 15 out of 17 free throw attempts over the last two minutes of the game to reach the final margin of victory.
"Mercer had a good game plan," said Scruggs. "They forced us to hit a lot of free throws instead of just one or two. Fortunately, the guys on the floor stepped up."
The Bulldogs close out the home season next Friday when they take on Campbell. Comcast Sports Southeast will broadcast the game to over four million people in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Students who wear red to the game will be automatically entered in a drawing to win prizes. The first three hundred fans receive a free Bulldog spirit towel.
"I really appreciated the fan support tonight," said Scruggs. "I want to encourage everyone to come out on Friday."