BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – In the opening 20 minutes of Wednesday’s Big South tilt at Paul Porter Arena, neither USC Upstate nor Gardner-Webb held a lead larger than seven points at any point in the frame. That suddenly changed after intermission.
A strong start to the second stanza proved to be the difference, as the host Runnin’ Bulldogs defeated the Spartans, 78-66, concluding the first trip through conference play for both clubs.
Clinging to a one point advantage, Gardner-Webb quite simply caught fire. A stingy defensive effort combined with a Ludovic Dufeal 3-pointer sparked a quick 7-0 burst within the first two minutes of the frame, resulting in an Upstate timeout.
“I felt that a big key to the game was taking care of the basketball,” said Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft. “(Upstate) is a team that really forces a lot of turnovers. We only had 11 and five were in the second half. I thought our defensive effort to start the half was really good. I’m proud of the team for that start to the half.”
After the stoppage, Gardner-Webb’s run extended out to 22-0 over the first seven minutes and 33 seconds of the half, which made it a 54-31 lead for the hosts. On the ensuing Upstate possession, Trae Broadnax found Ahmir Langlais in the lane for a basket.
Langlais scored three times in as many possessions for Upstate, which keyed an 11-2 Spartans run over the next two minutes and 45 seconds, which cut the deficit down to 56-42. During the run, Mysta Goodloe added a 3-pointer and a layup.
“Gardner-Webb played great and with a lot of confidence,” USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson stated. “They really shot the ball well (60 percent from the field). I’m shocked about this game and the outcome. I felt that we lost our defensive identity in the first 10 minutes of the second half. We just couldn’t get anything going on the defensive end and our offense wasn’t great. When you have bad defense, it’s probably because of some bad offense as well. Our offense wasn’t where we needed it to be in the first 10 minutes of the second half.”
The Runnin’ Bulldogs’ relentless effort on the defensive end continued to pay dividends, as Caleb Robinson sprinted to the other end of the floor and knocked down a jumper. A couple of moments later, D.Q. Nicholas hit Anthony Selden on a fast break for an alley-oop, making it a 19-point advantage for Gardner-Webb at that juncture of the contest. Robinson scored a game-high 22 points off the bench in a little over 23 minutes of game action.
“(Caleb) really got it going and had the hot hand,” Craft exclaimed. “He’s really finding a way and getting comfortable in our offense to figure out how he can get to his spots where he can score. I thought he did a good job of that tonight.”
Upstate continued to battle until the final moments of the contest. Khydarius Smith hit a pair of shots within the span of a minute, while Justin Bailey knocked down a shot in the lane and made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Over the final 5:07 of the game, Bailey poured in 12 points for Upstate.
“(Justin) is a good player,” Dickerson added. “He plays with a good pace, toughness, and speed.
He’s a strong kid with a great motor. I love my team, staff, and our program. We need to be back home at The Hodge and have a packed house at 2:00 on Saturday. I’m pretty sure you’re going to see a different team.”
Bailey scored a team-high 17 points, which also marks a new career-high. Also finishing in double figures for the Spartans were Jordan Gainey with 12 points and Goodloe with 10. Along with Robinson, two more Runnin’ Bulldogs – D.Q. Nicholas and Julien Soumaoro – notched double-digit point totals with 20 and 14 points, respectively.
Both teams will continue in conference play at home this Saturday, as Gardner-Webb (10-11, 5-4 Big South) squares off against High Point, while Upstate (9-11, 4-5) hosts Radford on Coaches vs Cancer Day at the Hodge Center. Both games are slated for 2 p.m. tipoffs.
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