Robinson’s double-double helps Gardner-Webb hold off USC Upstate

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Caleb Robinson notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds as Gardner-Webb withstood a tough test from USC Upstate on Saturday, defeating the Spartans, 75-70.

The victory is the fifth in a row for the Runnin’ Bulldogs (10-12, 5-2 Big South), and moves them into third place over Winthrop in the conference standings.

“Give tons of credit to Upstate,” GWU head coach Tim Craft said following the game. “Despite what their records show, they’re a very good basketball team. They’ve had tough losses this year, like in overtime vs. Winthrop. Dave (Dickerson) has them playing so well. We knew it was not going to be easy.”

GWU went inside on its first three possessions and netted six points. Center Isaiah Richards stepped out beyond the arc and hit a rare three, as did Lucas Steiber. As a result, the ’Dawgs led, 12-5. Robinson and Ademide Badmus then scored in the paint as the lead grew to double digits, at 17-5. Upstate answered with a quick 5-0 run and by the time the Spartans hit their third triple of the segment, they had cut the deficit to 20-16.

Order was restored by the hosts, as DQ Nicholas scored on two straight transition layups. Robinson restored a double-digit lead with a driving layup and a tip-in. Richards brought the crowd to its feet with a slam off of a backdoor cut as GWU entered the locker room with a 36-27 lead.

Julien Soumaoro opened the second half with a three, but the first segment of the second half was marred by fouls, slowing the flow of the game. In all, eight fouls were whistled before the first media stoppage. Quest Aldridge sank a pair of free throws to push the Gardner-Webb lead to 41-31. After  Upstate hit a three, Shahar Lazar hit one of his own, followed by a floater, to give GWU a 46-34 cushion. However, Upstate would uncork an 11-1 run to cut its deficit to 47-45 with 11:49 remaining.

Stieber ended the run with a backdoor layup, but  GWU missed four consecutive free throws, allowing Upstate to tie things at 49. The teams split the next 14 points thanks to each team ripping off 7-0 runs. Aldridge broke the tie with a drive in the paint to give the home team a 58-56 lead with 7:23 to play.

The game continued to swing back and forth, but an Aldridge layup gave GWU a 66-64 lead with 3:28 on the clock. After Upstate missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Badmus scored in the paint to increase the lead to 68-64 at the 2:32 mark. The Spartans eventually cut the deficit to 70-69, but Robinson tipped in an Aldridge miss with 22 seconds left. After an Upstate free throw, Soumaoro split a pair at the line before Aldridge came away with a steal and a layup to account for the 75-70 final.

CALEB COMES THROUGH: Caleb Robinson is arguably GWU’s best player, yet since Christmas, he has been coming off of the bench.

“The fact that he has been willing to do that just shows his maturity level,” Craft said. “Not many players would be willing to do that. We really like the energy he brings with that part of the rotation.”

“I just want to be a team player,” Robinson added. “Whatever it takes to win, and hey, it’s working. We’ve won five in a row. I’ll take that all day.”

QUEST FOR VICTORY: Quest Aldridge has always been known as a 3-point specialist during his time in Boiling Springs, but against the Spartans, all of his 14 points came off of drives or from the foul line. His steal and layup with two seconds left sealed the win.

“Except for the other night against Longwood, where he went 5-for-5 from 3, Quest has struggled a little with his shot this season,” Craft said. “So he has been looking to drive the lane more. I think that’s helped him become more of a complete player. Not only did he score, he was able to drop off some nice passes in the paint, too.”

THE NOT-SO FREE THROW LINE: The charity stripe was far from generous to Upstate, who shot an abysmal 8-for-23 from the line. GWU was not much better at 15-for-23, but the hosts hit them when it mattered, and that proved to be the difference in the game.

UP NEXT: GWU will host reigning Big South Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year Drew Pember and the UNC Asheville on Wednesday. When asked about facing Pember, Robinson grinned and said: “Oh yeah, he’s a great player for sure and we’ll have to prepare for him, but you know what? We’re a really good team. He’s going to have to get ready for us, too. Because we are a bunch of Dawgs!”

Tipoff for the marquee matchup is set for 7 p.m.