Defense, 3-point shooting leads Gardner-Webb past Limestone

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Gardner-Webb put four players in double figures as the Runnin’ Bulldogs broke out of an offensive slump with a 92-51 win over Limestone Saturday afternoon, shooting an impressive 54 percent for the game.

“That’s really my biggest takeaway from the game,” head coach Tim Craft said. “Over our road trip (five games in 19 days), we did not shoot the ball very well. If we had, we would probably have a couple more wins.”

Julien Soumaoro connected on consecutive fastbreak layups as Gardner-Webb grabbed a quick 6-4 lead. Buddy Simmons drilled a three to extend the run to 11-0 and by the time Caleb Robinson drove for a bucket, the lead grew to 13-6.  

Soumaoro ended a long drought by both teams with a layup before Robinson showed his athleticism with a pair of driving layups as the Runnin’ Bulldogs opened a 22-11 advantage with 5:57 left in the first half. DQ Nicholas connected on a pair of triples and Quest Aldridge hit another triple as part of another 11-0 run. The shots kept falling, as Gardner-Webb opened a 42-19 lead at the break.  

Soumaoro hit a three to spark a 9-2 run to start the second half. Lucas Stieber also canned a triple, as did Simmons. The white-hot shooting from beyond the arc gave the home team a 59-27 lead with 15:02 left in the game. Aldridge hit yet another trifecta out of the media timeout and Robinson completed an old fashioned three-point play. Simmons connected on a pull-up jumper before Limestone got hot from beyond the arc to make the score 67-38 midway through the half. Nicholas broke the Saints' run with a deep three and layup. By the time Isaiah Richards threw down a dunk, Gardner-Webb was up by 40  and Craft cleared the bench. Chance Thacker made the most of that opportunity with five points as the Runnin’ Bulldogs maintained their massive cushion, winning 92-51.  

DEFENSE!! DEFENSE!!! Gardner-Webb was particularly stingy in the first half, holding  Limestone to just 19 points in the opening 20 minutes, shooting just 27 percent.

“Anytime you can do that, you know the defense is locked in,” Craft said. “That was one of our keys going into the game. I told the team that (Division II) Limestone had four starters who could play in our league. They took that to heart and shut them down, particularly in the first half.” 

 

LETTING IT FLY: The Runnin’ Bulldogs were not shy from shooting from beyond the arc, hitting at an 11-of-28 clip from long distance. Gardner-Webb also hit double digits in a home win over Erskine to open the season. 

“That’s the way we want to play,” Craft said. “Our goal is to hit at least 10 threes each game. We did not do that on the road trip, but doing it today gave the team a lot of confidence If we can do that, I think we can be really good offensively.” 

 

UP NEXT: Gardner-Webb (3-4) will take the short trip to nearby Queens in Charlotte on Wednesday, November 29. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.