Gardner-Webb downs Winthrop 85-79 in OT

Feb 22, 2014, 10:25 pm

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. -- Jerome Hill scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and fueled a balanced overtime attack that lifted Gardner-Webb to an 85-79 win over Winthrop on Saturday.

Gardner-Webb (16-13, 9-5 Big South) blew a 13-point lead midway through the second half and needed a Josh Castellanos free throw to force the extra period. The Runnin' Bulldogs then took control in OT, opening with four unanswered points from Onzie Branch to build a lead they'd protect with a 3-pointer from Naji Hibbert, a pair of layups from Hill and 9-for-10 shooting from the free throw line down the stretch.

Hibbert finished with 16 points and Branch had 10 for Gardner-Webb, which shot 54 percent from the field to move into a three-way, first-place tie with UNC-Asheville and Coastal Carolina atop the conference's south division.

Keon Moore led Winthrop (15-12, 8-6) with 27 points, while Larry Brown and Andre Smith had 12 apiece.