“Give credit to Campbell,” GWU head coach Tim Craft said. “We played really well in the first half, but every time we looked like we were going to pull away, they came back.”
Both teams started out cold from the field, but a three from Laurynas Vaistaras gave Campbell a 5-4 lead. Quest Aldridge (16 points) hit a triple later in the half as GWU took a 9-7 lead at the 12:15 mark. With the score tied at 11, Kareem Reid (15 points) scored two buckets in the post as part of an 8-0 GWU run that saw the home team burst in front, 19-11. That lead grew to double digits on a scoop shot by Caleb Robinson before Mason Grant broke Campbell’s skid with a deep trey, but Aldridge hit back-to-back triples. His floater in the lane with less than a minute left in the half kept the Runnin’ Bulldogs in front by that 11-point margin at the break, 31-20.
Reid opened the second half with a three-point play, but Campbell answered with a 10-0 run capped on an Anthony Dell’Orso (17 points) bucket. DQ Nicholas ended the run with a jumper, but Campbell was back in the game, only trailing 36-30. After another Nicholas basket, Aldridge hit a NBA-range three to restore a double-digit lead. The margin stayed in that range until Campbell went on a quick 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 49-43 with 7:54 left in the contest.
The Camels eventually tied the contest at 55 on a driving layup by Ricky Clemons (18 points) with 3:34 left in the game. Clemons then sank two from the foul line to give Campbell its first lead since the score was 9-8. Robinson responded with a driving layup to tie the game at 57 with 1:03 left and the game eventually went into overtime deadlocked at 59.
After Campbell opened the extra session with two foul shots, Julien Soumaoro hit a big three out of the corner. The teams continued to go back and forth, as the game remained knotted at 68-68 going into a second extra session.
In the final period, Anthony Selden and Campbell’s Joshua Lusane traded triples before Lucas Stieber connected on a driving layup to give Gardner-Webb the lead for good. Soumaoro grabbed the defensive rebound on the other end and calmly sank a pair of free throws that sealed the four-point win.
7th Heaven: Gardner-Webb’s winning streak now extends to seven games. The Runnin’ Bulldogs last lost to Longwood on January 18. It also marks GWU’s longest such streak since winning eight in a row during the 2018-19 campaign when it qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Perfect 10: With the win, Craft has now secured at least 10 Big South wins in nine straight seasons. This ties the conference record set by former UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach.
Little Man, Big Plays: Julien Soumaoro may only stand 5’11”, but he came up with the biggest plays in this. He only scored five points, but they all came in the overtime sessions.
“I did not score a lot of points tonight, but credit to my teammates for keeping me positive and the coaches that tell me to keep shooting no matter what,” he said. “All the credit also goes to my big men for clearing out the lane and allowing me to come in and get that rebound. As for those two free throws, I just shot them the way I do every day in practice.”
Hoist The Hog: The game between the Runnin’ Bulldogs and the Camels was sponsored by the North Carolina Pork Council. The GWU football team was recognized for its victory over Campbell in the annual East/West BBQ Bowl game last fall. The game also marked the final time the two rivals will meet on the hardwood during the regular season as members of the Big South. Campbell is moving to the Colonial Athletic Association at season’s end.
Quest For Success: Quest Aldridge must like playing against the Camels. In the first meeting between the two teams, he scored 20 points and followed it up with 16 in this game.
“He scored 16 points in just 23 minutes,” Craft said. “That’s what he does, he gives us offense and a spark off the bench. We did not play him down the stretch because while he has improved on the defensive end, we felt there were better matchups available defensively for us at that time. But Quest was big for us tonight, for sure.”
Up Next: GWU (15-11, 10-4 Big South) stays at home Wednesday, February 15 to host Winthrop. Campbell (11-15, 6-8 Big South) travels to Charleston Southern on the same night.
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