By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Gardner-Webb’s Seth Brown scored a game-high 23 points, pacing four players in double figures as the Runnin’ Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season with an 88-66 win over Division II Erskine Wednesday night in Boiling Springs.
“When we played in one of these games last year, North Greenville came in here and hit 17 threes and beat us,” head coach Jeremy Luther said. “You better believe I talked to the team about that. The first half, Erskine came out and played zone, which we weren’t prepared for, plus they were making crazy shots. The second half, we started to dominate physically and stopped settling for the first jump shot available. That was the difference.”
GWU (1-2) used its superior size early as they grabbed four offensive rebounds on the first two trips down the floor. However, Noah Castaneda scored five quick points to put Erskine up 7-6 at the first media timeout. Ace Talbert and Jackson Skipper hit triples for the home team and by the time Mikhail Pocknett converted an old-fashioned three-point play, GWU led, 15-14, at the 11:30 mark of the first half.
Brown followed with a three to spark a 7-0 Runnin’ Bulldog run that saw the lead grow to 22-14, forcing the Flying Fleet to call a timeout. Both teams went cold from the field until Castaneda hit a triple as part of a 6-0 run that saw the lead shrink to 22-20. Rue Wells stopped the run with a driving layup but Erskine’s Justen Goudelock hit a pair of threes. Brown then hit one of his own to keep the Runnin’ Bulldogs in front at the half, 33-29.
Brown opened the second half with a deep three for GWU and by the time he hit a pair of free throws, their lead had grown to 40-32. His triple a little later in the half gave Gardner-Webb its largest lead of the contest, 47-36.
Erskine would not go away, as Avery Woodard hit a three, but Jamias Ferere went on a personal 5-0 run, including a triple from the corner, to push the advantage back to 11 at 52-41. After a media timeout, Talbert connected on a driving layup and Wells converted a three-point play. Wells then hit one from beyond the arc, as did Jacob Hudson, and the Runnin’ Bulldogs started to pull away with 6:48 left in the game, leading 65-49. Pocknett and Brown scored in the paint and by the time Talbert canned one last three, GWU was in cruise control, winning 88-66.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Senior transfer Seth Brown is a versatile player who can get to the rim and hit shots from beyond the arc, as demonstrated by going 4-for-9 from deep. Brown transferred from Fresno Pacific University, where he averaged nearly 14 points per game a season ago.
“I love it here,” Brown said of the transition to Gardner-Webb. “Everybody has been great. It’s been tough to adjust to the Division I level so far. It’s much faster and more physical. I think we are all starting to settle in now. We had two really tough games to start the season (UConn and Texas). It’s good to be back home and get a win.”
In addition to Brown’s 23 points, Pocknett (18), Talbert (11) and Wells (10) scored in double figures for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
OWNING THE GLASS
The Runnin’ Bulldogs outrebounded the Flying Fleet, 45-22, and Samuel Nosakhare was a big reason why. The 6-foot-9 Quinnipiac transfer did not score, but snagged 13 rebounds.
“He got eight rebounds at UConn and held his own versus Texas,” Luther said. “If he can do that, I think he can dominate at our level. We don’t ask him to score a lot, but he has a huge role on this team.”
LOVIN’ LUTHER
Even though Gardner-Webb is a Baptist-affiliated university, fans and teammates have a special place in their heart for Bryson Luther, Jeremy Luther’s son. The biggest cheer of the night came when Luther banked in a three at the top of the key in the final moments of the game. He finished with five points, an assist and a steal in just three minutes on the court.
“It makes me emotional just thinking about it,” Jeremy Luther said. “I mean, Bryson has wanted to be a Runnin’ Bulldog ever since he was six years old. Now to have the crowd chanting his name is incredible.”
UP NEXT
The Runnin’ Bulldogs return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Columbia to take on South Carolina.
“I think we will be competitive in that game,” Luther said. “I, mean they are still P4 and SEC, but they are not UConn or Texas. It kind of reminds me of the matchup when we beat Purdue (in 2014). We matched up well with them and then hit a bunch of threes (14). If we hit 14 threes versus South Carolina on Saturday, we are going to win. I guarantee it.”
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
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