Despite a career-night from Reggie Dillard, the Presbyterian College men's basketball team was not able to overcome a late run by Gardner-Webb, as the Runnin' Bulldogs rallied for the 79-70 win in Big South action tonight at Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, N.C.
PC fell to 6-22 overall and 2-11 in the Big South, while GWU improved to 15-13, 8-5. The Blue Hose are next in action Saturday, Feb. 22, as they take on Charleston Southern in their final home game of the season. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Dillard finished with 24 points, one over his previous high of 23, set at VMI earlier this season. Downing followed with 19, with William Truss finishing with 10. Downing led the team in rebounds as well, with nine on the night.
Jarvis Davis led Gardner-Webb with 19 points, while Jerome Hill pulled down a team-leading 14 rebounds.
PC shot 53.2% from the field and was 16-of-24 from the free-throw line, compared to 44.4% for Gardner-Webb. The Runnin' Bulldogs were 18-of-28 from the charity stripe and held the 41-27 advantage on the boards. Turnovers were fairly even with PC having just two more,13-11
Gardner Webb took an early seven-point, 11-4, just four minutes into the game. The gap closed quickly with three straight baskets by the Blue Hose, two coming from Downing, cut the lead to just one with 12:21 before intermission.
After a Gardner-Webb basket made it a three-point game again, PC went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Downing three-pointer, to take a 17-13 lead with just over 10 to play.
PC extended its lead to five, 34-29, off a Dillard lay-up with 1:02 to play before Josh Castellanos hit a three-pointer and jumper to help the Runnin' Bulldogs cut the lead to just one, 35-34, at the break.
Leading by one in the second half, 43-42, PC used another three-pointer and basket from Downing, as well as a lay-up from Truss, in a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 50-42, at the 13:13 mark.
Gardner-Webb followed with a 14-3 run, highlighted by a Davis three-pointer and Onzie Branch dunk, over the next four minutes to retake the lead at 56-53, with 8:58 remaining. Markus Terry snapped the drought with two free throws at the 8:44 mark.
Four unanswered by Dillard knotted the game at 59-59, with 7:38 to go, but it was all Gardner-Webb the next five minutes as the Runnin' Bulldogs went on a 16-6 run to build a 10-point lead, 75-65, with two-and-a-half to play.
Dillard's lay-up with 1:03 to go cut the lead to six, but that would be as close as the Blue Hose would get, taking the eventual nine-point, 79-70, loss.
