“Coach just said to attack him all night,” Robinson said of Pember. “Then he got in foul trouble and that just made us more aggressive. It wasn’t just me. DQ (Nicholas) and Lucas (Stieber) also hit some big shots. This was a huge win.”
GWU (11-12, 6-2 Big South) got off to a hot start from the field, going 5-for-5 after a Quest Aldridge three, but could not gain a lead as the game was tied at 11 at the first media stoppage. DQ Nicholas hit a three just before Pember picked up his second foul. After Pember left the game though, Asheville went on an 8-0 run, with six of those points coming from Josh Banks (21 points) as the visitors led, 24-18.
Lucas Stieber ended the run with a three, and by the time he hit another, with Nicholas also canning one from beyond the arc, GWU had pulled to within 30-29. Banks stayed hot for the visiting Bulldogs with consecutive triples, but buckets from Robinson and Nicholas kept the hosts in the game. A three from Stieber helped to offset a flurry of points from Pember. The big man picked up his third foul just before the half, though, but it did not hinder Asheville in heading to the locker room with a 46-41 halftime lead.
Aldridge opened the second half with a three, and his fastbreak layup gave GWU a 53-52 lead. Robinson followed with a layup, but Asheville went on an 11-0 run to seize a 63-55 advantage. GWU cut the deficit to 66-61 but Asheville kept the Runnin’ Bulldogs at arm's length from the foul line. Robinson took over from that point, scoring the next seven GWU points to draw within one at 71-70, forcing an Asheville timeout with 4:02 left.
Ademide Badmus hit a pair of foul shots to tie the game at 72 before Robinson powered in a bucket over Pember and Badmus garnered a putback. As a result, GWU led 76-72 with 1:37 left. Robinson took Pember to school again with another bucket in the paint and Shahar Lazar came off the bench to hit a big foul shot and seal the 80-73 win.
QUOTABLE CRAFT: So just how do you hold a player like Pember, who averages over 20 points per game, to just 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting? Head coach Tim Craft provided some insight.
“He’s such a good player (that) you’re going to have to give him something,” he said. “We decided to give him the three-point shot to keep him out of the paint. We didn’t close out very hard and we didn’t bite on shot fakes. Yes, we gave up a few shots, but overall, I think it worked very well. We also trapped him every time he touched the ball late and got some turnovers. I can’t say enough about our defense.”
DON’T FORGET THE OFFENSE: In addition to Robinson, GWU had three other players in double figures. DQ Nicholas and Quest Aldridge had 16 points each while Lucas Stieber chipped in with 11. In all, the Runnin’ Bulldogs shot at a 53.4 percent clip from the floor. That stat is even more impressive considering that GWU played the final 4:02 without a point guard after Nicholas fouled out and Julien Soumaoro was injured. Therefore, they isolated Robinson on Pember and let him go to work.
“I just took the ball right at him,” Robinson said. “That’s what you have to do. I was looking to pass, but I kept getting into good spots in the lane.”
HITTING THE RESET BUTTON: Gardner-Webb has now won six games in a row and will enjoy a bye on Saturday before beginning the second half of Big South play. They are currently tied with Asheville for second place in the conference, but hold the tiebreaker by virtue of Wednesday’s victory.
“We still have to take one game at a time, but I won’t lie, this one sure does feel good,” Craft said. “We’re going to take advantage of the bye on Saturday, see if we can get healed up and then continue to make a push in the second half of the (conference) season.”
UP NEXT: Gardner-Webb will not return to action until February 7, when the Runnin’ Bulldogs travel to Presbyterian. Asheville will host Winthrop this Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.