DQ KOs Panthers as Gardner-Webb routs High Point

DQ Nicholas brings ball up for Gardner-Webb. Nicholas’ 27 points led Runnin’ Bulldogs in rout of High Point. (Photo by Jermichael White/Gardner-Webb Athletics)

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — His first name may be DQ, but Gardner-Webb guard DQ Nicholas delivered a knockout to High Point Saturday afternoon, as the Southeast Missouri transfer scored a career-high 27 points and dished out six assists as the Runnin’ Bulldogs routed the Panthers, 86-58.

“Obviously, you don’t expect a scoreline like that in conference play,” Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft said. “You expect every game to come down to the last possession or two. I think we played really well offensively in the first half and the guys kept up that intensity in the second half.”

GWU (11-11, 6-4 Big South) dominated the paint early as a pair of offensive rebounds led to four second-chance points. After a Nicholas triple, they led, 11-7. Jaden House (20 points) answered with a deep three, but the Panthers’ defense had a hard time keeping GWU out of the lane, particularly  Caleb Robinson. His rebound and putback gave GWU its first double-digit lead at 29-16 with just over eight minutes left in the first half.

The teams went on a long stretch of trading baskets with House doing much of the heavy lifting for High Point. But he could not keep up with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, as Anthony Selden (15 points) hit a three, as did Quest Aldridge. By the time Robinson (15 points) completed an old-fashioned 3-point play, GWU led 46-26 at the break.

High Point (10-12, 2-8 Big South) looked to grab momentum out of the locker room with a dunk by Zack Austin, but then Nicholas got hot, hitting threes on four straight trips down the floor as the home team led, 58-33. 

“It felt good to get things going from beyond the arc,” Nicholas said. “I got things going early (in the first half) by getting to the rim and then that opened things up from the outside. Seeing those shots go down gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”

High Point answered with a 7-0 run, but a Robinson dunk restored a 20-point lead at 60-40. The Panthers would not go away, and by the time Bryson Childers hit a three, they had cut their deficit to 60-46. Nicholas ended the run with an athletic layup. Childers hit another three, but then the Panthers decided to employ a full-court press. Selden took them out of it with consecutive dunks thanks to assists from Nicholas. After Selden’s floater in the lane, GWU led 78-58 heading into the final segment. From that point, Craft cleared the bench as GWU cruised to the 86-58 win.

POUNDING THE PAINT: GWU outscored High Point 52-30 in the paint and outrebounded the Panthers, 32-27.

PANTHERS’ ROAD WOES CONTINUE: HPU is still looking for its first Big South road win of the season. In fact, the Panthers have not won a game away from home since defeating Furman, 85-82, on December 6, 2022.

CRAFT TIES ELLIS: With the victory, Tim Craft tied Coastal Carolina’s Cliff Ellis for sixth place on the all-time Big South wins list with 98.

STREAKIN’ BULLDOGS: GWU has now won three games in a row for the second time this season. Its longest streak of the year is five games.

UP NEXT: GWU looks to continue its winning ways when it travels to Charleston Southern. HPU continues its road swing with a visit to UNC Asheville. Both games are set for 7 p.m. Wednesday and will stream on ESPN+.