Coastal Carolina University
7-6, 1-2
Gardner-Webb
7-8, 2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | 27 | 34 | 61 |
| Gardner-Webb | 29 | 36 | 65 |
Runnin' Bulldogs Rally Past Chanticleers On New Year's Eve
12/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Coastal Carolina led by four points just under three minutes to play, but Gardner-Webb rallied with seven of the game's final eight points to down the Chanticleers 65-61 on New Year's Eve at the Runnin' Bulldog's Paul Porter Arena.
Gardner-Webb, which made five free throws and a 3-pointer down the stretch, improved to 7-8 overall and 2-1 in Big South play with the win. Coastal Carolina fell to 7-6 overall and 1-2 in league play with the defeat.
GWU's Tyrell Nelson led all scorers with 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Harold McBride (16 points) and Dylan Poston (12 points) also scored in double-figure for the victors.
Coastal was paced by Jaylen Shaw's 16 points. Elijah Wilson and Shivaughn Wiggins scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, as the Coastal starting backcourt accounted for 41 of the Chants 61 points.
Gardner-Webb quickly turned its two-point halftime lead into seven in its first two possessions of the half. But, Coastal refused to allow the Runnin' Bulldogs to extend their lead as Shaw knocked down consecutive 3-pointers, trimming the GWU lead to 36-33. Coastal continued the momentum created by Shaw to take a 43-41 lead on a Marcus Freeman free throw at the 12:30 mark of the period.
Gardner-Webb regained a single-possession advantage at 47-46 on Nelson's sixth bucket of the night at the 9:54 mark. The teams would again go cold and not score another point until GWU's Dylan Poston made a trey with 7:26 to go. Coastal regained the lead at 58-54 with 3:20 to play as Shaw scored his eighth point in a three-minute span with a driving layup.
Wilson's dunk 30 seconds later gave the Chants its 60-54 lead, but it would not be enough as Gardner-Webb used free throws and a 3-pointer by McBride to secure the home victory.
Both teams opened the game struggling to find offensive rhythm as the teams combined to start 1-of-15. Coastal jumped out to a 16-7 lead as Trapps hit two 3-pointers. GWU stormed back with a 7-0 run to make the score 16-14 with 10 minutes to play before halftime. Coastal maintained the lead for the next eight minutes until two Nelson layups on back-to-back possession gave the Runnin' Bulldogs their first lead with 1:49 to play in the opening half. Two Wilson free throws and a McBride jumper in the final 1:43 kept Gardner-Webb in front by two, 29-27, at the intermission.
Coastal closed the contest shooting 38.8 percent from the floor, while Gardner-Webb hit on 36.2 percent of its shots. The Runnin' Bulldogs edged CCU 40-35 in rebounds, but Coastal controlled the points in the paint 22-20.
Coastal hosts long-standing rival Winthrop Sat., Jan. 2 at the HTC Center. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. Coastal is 2-1 in its last three meetings against the Eagles with the victories coming in the 2014 and 2015 Big South Tournament title game.
