“Great resilience by our team tonight,” GWU head coach Tim Craft said. “We have been in a ton of close games and have had every kind of scenario thrown at us, so that gives us some confidence. Credit to PC. They had us on the ropes, but we found a way to win.”
Both teams started hot from the field, as they split the first 10 points in the opening 90 seconds. Ademide Badmus hit a hook shot and DQ Nicholas hit a three, but GWU (17-15) still trailed, 14-12, after a high-scoring first segment. Lucas Stieber threw down a dunk and Nicholas hit another triple, but Gardner-Webb struggled with turnovers and getting stops. Caleb Robinson continually drove to the basket looking for contact, but did not get the calls. Stieber hit a three as GWU closed the gap to 24-23 with 7:06 left in the half.
Buddy Simmons came off the bench to hit a trey and tie the contest at 25 in what had turned into a sloppy game by both teams. The Blue Hose finished the half on a 9-2 run and held the Bulldogs without a field goal for the final 3:07 of the half. To make matters worse, Stieber was also injured late in the half as the Runnin’ Bulldogs trailed, 34-27, at the intermission.
GWU also missed its first two attempts of the second half, and did not score until Julien Soumaoro hit a three, but by that time, they trailed by 10, at 42-32, with 15:32 left in the game. The Runnin’ Bulldogs responded by hitting three in a row from the foul line and a dunk from Cheickna Sissoko. Simmons continued the comeback with a floater. An NBA-range triple from Aldridge and driving layup from Soumaoro cut the deficit to 49-48 with 6:44 left. Nicholas then banked in a 3 to put the Runnin’ Bulldogs ahead, 51-49.
Aldridge scored on two straight drives to the bucket, but PC managed to tie the game at 55 going to the final media stoppage. The teams traded baskets, but Aldridge gave GWU a 59-57 lead with a mid-range jumper. Kobe Stewart then converted a clutch three-point play to give PC a 60-59 lead. After a timeout, Aldridge was tripped going to the basket, and calmly sank both ends of a 1-and-1. The Blue Hose heave at the horn was off the mark as GWU advanced.
THE QUEST CONTINUES: Even though DQ Nicholas led the team with 15 points, Aldridge scored numerous clutch baskets late, and of course, made the final foul shots to finish with 14 points.
“There was a lot of pressure on those foul shots, but I tried not to think about anything and pretend I am by myself,” he said. “My teammates trusted me to knock those free throws down and then I had faith in myself also. It feels great to do it in front of my friends and family. I had my own cheering section tonight.”
A REVERSAL OF FORTUNES: Last year, Gardner-Webb had a bitter pill to swallow as it lost at the buzzer to USC Upstate. This time, it got to enjoy the sweet taste of victory in a similar situation.
“Last year did not feel so good,” Craft admitted. “It always feels good to advance. I think we have won our last four games (regular season and tournament) on basically the last possession, so this is nothing new.”
In fact, GWU has won its last four games by a combined six points.
“We knew we were going to win the game,” Julien Soumaoro said. “We have come back from 22 and 16 this year. 12 points is nothing. We were excited, dapping each other up because we don’t quit and today was no different.”
IT’S ASHEVILLE AGAIN: GWU advances to play UNC Asheville in the semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Runnin’ Bulldogs swept their slower-footed brethren during the regular season.
“By this point, everybody knows everybody,” Craft said. “We are going to go over some things and we will have to use our depth, but that’s why we go 12 deep, so guys will be ready to come off of the bench in big situations.”
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