Gardner-Webb’s season ends as High Point advances in Big South tournament

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — A tumultuous season for Gardner-Webb has come to a close after the Runnin’ Bulldogs fell to High Point, suffering an 85-64 loss in the quarterfinals of the Big South Conference tournament.

High Point’s Kezza Giffa led all scorers with 25 points and continually hit big shots whenever Gardner-Webb made a push to get back in the contest.

 

Anthony Selden hit an early three for GWU, and Ademide Badmus came off the bench to score on a pair of post moves to give the eighth-seeded Runnin’ Bulldogs an early 9-6 lead at the first media stoppage. That lead was short-lived, though, as High Point went on a 10-2 run over the next segment to lead 16-11. Jamaine Mann broke the run with a bucket, but picked up his second foul on the other end. The underdog Gardner-Webb tried to stay close as Pharrell Boyogueno hit a three and Isaiah Richards connected on a pair of free throws. Badmus continued to have a good game as he converted an acrobatic three-point play.

Selden scored on a driving layup to cut the deficit to 30-28, but High Point showed its talent with a quick 7-0 spurt. Buddy Simmons hit a pair of threes, but the defense could not come up with a stop. Things fell apart for GWU late in the half, as not only did High Point hit eight of its last nine shots from the field in the first half, but the Panthers would also take a 53-38 lead into the break.

Simmons opened the second half with five quick points and by the time Badmus converted a layup, GWU had cut the deficit to 10 points. The lead quickly grew back to 15 and Gardner-Webb could not cut into the deficit, as the High Point lead refused to shrink. In fact, the advantage went to 74-54 with 9:20 left in the contest.

GWU went to a  press to try to get back in the game, and that resulted in a steal and layup from Jacob Hudson. He also garnered a coast-to coast layup. Boyogueno hit a three to cut the Panther lead back to the halftime margin of 15, but it was too little too late.

Simmons led the way with 17 and Badmus was the only other GWU player in double figures with 11.

Message Of Love & Gratitude: Even though it has been a tough season for GWU (11-20), head coach Jeremy Luther is appreciative of the experience he had with his players.

“My message to the team in the locker room was just of love and gratitude,” he said. “I loved this team and I want to thank them for choosing to come tor come back to GWU. I know we are all emotional right now, but I hope they can take the time over the next few days and reflect. I hope the experience over the last seven months has been a positive one and that they are better men and players because of it”

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: High Point coach Alan Huss admits that the Panthers are the favorite to win the Big South and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

“We have had a target on our back all season long,” he said. “We have been playing in that space for a while. Gardner-Webb punched us in the mouth to start the game. They were really physical with us. Credit to them. But once we got rid of the jitters, we really got things rolling.”

Badmus Finishes Strong: As a senior, Badmus scored a season-high 11 points in his final game.

“Coach Luther and I sat down and talked,” Badmus said. We talked about the adversity of this year and I think I accomplished that. I did not even think about how big High Point is. I was just trying to get in the paint, and my teammates gave me good passes."

Up Next: Gardner-Webb’s season ends at 11-20, while High Point advances to face Radford in the semifinals on Saturday. Tipoff is set for noon Eastern time.