GARDNER-WEBB ESCAPES DEDMON WITH OVERTIME VICTORY PAST RADFORD

BOX SCORE Follow @RadfordMBB | Tweet #RadfordMBB

RADFORD, Va. - Gardner-Webb erased a nine-point Radford lead with an 11-2 run over the final 3:20 of regulation Saturday, and Jerome Hill capped a career-high 29-point performance with the game winner in overtime as the Runnin' Bulldogs left the Dedmon Center with a 73-72 win over the Highlanders. Hill's jumper in the lane came with :23 to play, and Rashun Davis missed a runner through traffic as time expired.

After Javonte Green made two free throws with :07 remaining in regulation to give RU a 64-61 lead, GWU's Tyler Strange, who also finished with a career-high 25, nailed a three-pointer from the left wing with 2.2 seconds on the clock to force the extra session.

Jalen Carethers, who scored a career-high 16 points to lead the Highlanders along with Green's 16 for the game, gave the Highlanders a 72-71 lead in the overtime period on a turnaround jump shot in the middle of the paint with :42 remaining. But it was Hill who scored the game's final points to give the Bulldogs the win.

"It's frustrating because we played well enough to win," Radford head coach Mike Jones said. "We didn't execute down the stretch."

Hill and Strange combined for all nine points in the overtime period for the Bulldogs. Strange connected on a deep three, his sixth of the game, to give GWU a 71-70 lead with 1:14 to play, and the back-and-forth finish started from there.

Radford's final possession came out of a timeout with :17 to play, and Davis wound up with the ball to drive the lane in the game's final seconds. His runner was heavily contested and rimmed out as the Highlanders dropped their second straight game at home and third in the last four.

"Games like these are generally decided by the team that makes the fewest mistakes down the stretch," Jones said. "Tonight we weren't that team. We didn't do the things you have to do in tight ball games to win, like make free throws and take care of the ball."

Radford bulit its second-half lead on the backs of strong interior play both offensively and defensively from Carethers, Green, and Kion Brown. Brown finished the game with eight points, and Carethers added six rebounds and three blocked shots to go with his career-high point total. Green tallied seven rebounds, which was a team high he shared with R.J. Price. Price added 13 points, and the seven rebounds was a career best. Davis also finished in double figures with 13.

Despite the loss, Radford (14-9, 4-4) remains just a game back in the North Division standings. The Highlanders travel Wednesday to Charleston Southern for a 7:30 p.m. tip at the Buc Dome.

Print Friendly Version