Disappointed, but short: GWU narrowly misses upset at Charlotte

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

CHARLOTTE — Gardner-Webb found itself down 7-0 at the first media timeout against Charlotte, but fought back to lead at various points in the game.

It wasn’t until the contest’s final seconds that the 49ers were able to shake away from the pesky Bulldogs, as GWU narrowly missed an upset Tuesday, falling at Halton Arena, 60-54.

“It’s one of those situations where you have all kinds of emotions,” head coach Jeremy Luther said after the game. “On the one hand, you are frustrated because you had so many near-misses and chances to win the game, but on the other hand, you are super proud of the team for the way they played defensively and kept fighting to the very end. I know it sounds weird to say but I am disappointed in the result, but proud of the effort.”

Charlotte got off to a fast start, as Robert Braswell IV completed an old-fashioned three-point play to take a 7-0 lead at the first media stoppage. Shahar Lazar broke the skid with a deep three, but a 5-0 run from the home team kept Charlotte in front, 12-3. The turnover bug kept biting GWU and kept the offense from getting in rhythm until Anthony Selden hit a floater to cut the deficit to 12-5.

Lazar hit another triple and Buddy Simmons scored on a putback as GWU cut its deficit to 14-12 with 7:55 left in the first half. Selden then tied the game at 14, but Braswell hit back-to back threes to put Charlotte in front, 20-14. Simmons answered with a three and by the time Selden scored on a putback, GWU had its first lead of the contest. Lazar hit a pair of free throws as the lead increased to 23-20 with 3:43 left before the half.

Selden hit a pair of free throws out of the break, but Charlotte answered with a quick 5-0 run to tie the game at 25. Colin Hawkins gave the Runnin’ Bulldogs the lead again with a floater, but it was Charlotte who took a 28-27 cushion into the locker room.

Jamaine Mann scored the first four points for Gardner-Webb out of the break and by the time Simmons canned a midrange jumper, the Runnin’ Bulldogs led, 35-32. Charlotte was 6-for-6 from the free throw line to start the half to stay within one.  Hawkins hit a pair of free throws, but Charlotte’s Nic Graves hit a three. A Mann scoop shot kept the visitors in front, 41-39, with 11:36 left in the game.

Kylan Blackmon sparked a 5-0 Charlotte run with a deep three, but Isaiah Richards scored on a hook shot  and Brendan Mykalcio hit a foul shot to tie the game with 7:47 left. The game continued to swing back and forth, but Charlotte began to take advantage of its size, scoring six in a row in the paint to regain the initiative with 4:57 to play, building a 52-48 edge.

Simmons connected on a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 52-50 entering the final media stoppage. GWU cut the deficit to a single point on numerous occasions, but Charlotte led by two, 56-54, with a minute remaining. Simmons tried a potential go-ahead three, but it rimmed out and Charlotte was able to take the win after Jaehshon Thomas delivered a dagger of a three-point play for the 49ers in the final seconds to account for the final margin.

ALL ABOUT THAT PACE: The game was one of contrasting styles, and Charlotte forced GWU to play at the 49ers’ pace for the majority of the contest.

“We knew they liked to play slow coming in,” Luther said of Charlotte. “They like to use most of the shot clock on every possession. We like to play fast. Unfortunately, they were able to play at their pace for much of the game. We adapted to it and we were able to keep it close. We just did not make enough shots at the end. We had good shots all night. They just would not fall.”

SHORT ON BIGS: GWU played the game without Ademide Badmus, who had an injury during warm-ups. GWU turned to Race Herr to fill the void and while Herr played well defensively, he lacked the scoring punch of Badmus. When Mann fouled out with 3:42 left in the contest, it further limited GWU’s effectiveness in the paint. According to Luther, Badmus is expected to be ready to go when the team plays in Mexico over the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

SOUTH OF THE BORDER: GWU will travel to Cancun, Mexico, where the Runnin’ Bulldogs will face Southeast Louisiana and either Bethune Cookman or North Dakota on November 26 and 27, respectively.

“It will be a fun trip for sure,” Luther said with a smile. The guys deserve it, and we will play some good teams. It will be a challenge, but both are winnable games.”

 

UP NEXT: GWU will take that aforementioned trip to Mexico, while Charlotte will stay home to host LIU on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.