Tulane University
Gardner-Webb
Sims, Stith Leads Tulane Past Gritty Gardner-Webb, 84-79
Dec 8, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2007
NEW ORLEANS- Sophomore Kevin Sims scored a team-high 19 points and senior Donnavan Stith came off the bench to produce a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the Green Wave outlasted a feisty Gardner-Webb squad, 84-79, in front of 1,195 at Fogelman Arena.
Tulane (5-3) led for much of the second half and looked to be in control heading into the final two minutes of the game with a nine point lead. However, Gardner-Webb (5-6) had other ideas and demonstrated the same ability it used to upset No. 20 Kentucky earlier this season on the road at Rupp Arena. The Runnin' Bulldogs used an 8-1 run in a span of 1:49 that culminated when Takayo Siddle drained the team's 11th three-pointer of the game and cut the Green Wave's lead to just two points, 81-79, with 0:39 remaining.
Sims was fouled on the next possession and he sank his first free throw, but left the door open for Gardner-Webb when he misfired on his second free throw attempt. The Runnin' Bulldogs looked to tie the game, but a Grayson Flittner three-pointer missed its mark, and TU senior Matt Wheaton grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. Wheaton nailed both free throw attempts to ice the game for the Wave.
The early minutes of the second half was a duplicate of the opening half with neither team able to take a comfortable lead. Gardner-Webb held a brief lead, but Tulane regained the advantage and led for a majority of the first 10 minutes of the second half. Sophomore Eric Vianney nailed a long jumper and then struck again with a deep trey that propelled the Wave out to a 60-51 edge. However, the Runnin' Bulldogs answered with its own trey to keep pace with Tulane, and trailed 60-54 at the 11:44 mark.
Flittner kept GW close with his fifth three-pointer of the game at 10:07, but Sims responded with a trey to put the Wave ahead, 65-57. Following a Runnin' Bulldogs basket, Sims nailed another three-ball to give Tulane a 70-59 lead. Once again Flittner came through for the visitors when he was fouled on a made basket and nailed the free throw to keep Gardner-Webb in contention.
The difference for the Green Wave was in its bench, which outscored GW's bench, 36-22, and also produced 24 rebounds. Stith proved to be a difference maker, coming off the bench to score nine points in the first half and six more points in the final period. Vianney also gave Tulane a boost off the bench with 10 points and seven boards.
Sims was steady as usual with his seventh double-figure scoring contest of the year, and he contributed a game-best six assists and also accounted for two steals.
Tulane won the battle on the boards, outrebounding Gardner-Webb 46-31, and the Wave's frontcourt dominated the paint with a 34-22 edge.
Thomas Sanders led three Runnin' Bulldogs into double figures with 22 points, while Flittner and Siddle each finished with 18 points apiece. GW shot 45.8 percent (27-59) from the field and nearly half of its field goal attempts came from behind the three-point line (11-28), where the team hit 39.3 percent of its attempts.
"I had trust in our defense and even though they (Gardner-Webb) made some tough plays at the end I trusted the fact our defense was going to come through and it did," Tulane head coach Dave Dickerson said. "This is a good win for us because Gardner-Webb is a very good team. It's no fluke that they beat Kentucky at Kentucky. They came in here and played 40 minutes of solid basketball, but give credit to our team. We made unbelievable plays and had 19 offensive rebounds. Donnie Stith was our best player of the day without a doubt with 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Without his effort, there is no way we win the game, and that is what a senior is supposed to do and Donnie did it today."
The opening period featured six ties and eight lead changes, and was a back and forth tussle for the first 20 minutes. Tulane was able to build an early five point advantage at the 16:15 mark on a pull-up jumper by Sims. However, Gardner-Webb responded with a pair of three-pointers to climb back into the game, and then took the lead at, 13-12, on a jumper following a Tulane turnover. Sophomore Asim McQueen snapped the Runnin' Bulldogs 8-0 run with a free throw and Stith followed up a missed shot with a put-back to help Tulane regain the lead, 15-13.
Vianney gave the Wave a spark when he came off the bench. He scooped up a loose ball and drove down the court where he was fouled on lay-up attempt, but his shot found its mark and he connected on the ensuing free throw for the conventional three-point play that gave the Green Wave an 18-13 lead.
Minutes later, Gardner-Webb responded once again when Flittner hit a long three-pointer and tied the game at 19-19. Sanders gave his team a brief two-point lead with a point-blank bank shot. On the following possession, Vianney rebounded his own missed shot and was fouled on his put-back attempt. He connected on both foul shots to tie the game at 21 apiece.
The teams then traded the lead over the next few minutes before Gardner-Webb collected its fourth advantage of the first half when Nate Blank hit a trey and Auryn MacMillian converted a short jumper for a 28-27 advantage. Freshman Johnny Mayhane came off the bench and hit a three-pointer to help the Wave retake a 30-28 lead. The Runnin' Bulldogs came back to tie the game at 30-30 with less than four minutes remaining.
Tulane broke the tie and built a four-point lead before Flittner responded with his second three-pointer to pull Gardner-Webb to within a point. On TU's next trip down the floor, senior David Gomez found himself underneath the basket for an easy lay-up that gave the Wave a 37-33 advantage at the under two minute mark.
Junior Robinson Louisme then canned three of four free throws on back-to-back trips to the foul line to put Tulane ahead, 39-33, its largest lead of the first half. The Runnin' Bulldogs, outscored the Wave, 6-2, in the final minute, including a last second three-pointer by Siddle for the team's sixth long distance shot of the half, and Tulane took a 41-40 lead into the break.
