BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team fell 79-46 on Friday night against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs inside Paul Porter Arena.
Gardner-Webb won the opening tip-off but it was Converse who scored the opening basket, when
Sigurd Lorange (Trondheim, Norway) made a layup off an inbounds pass. Following the Valkyries opening basket the Runnin' Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run.
Following the run both teams started to settle into a rhythm and at the first media timeout the Valkyries trailed 16-7. Over the next several minutes of game time the two squads battled back-and-forth but the Valkyries still trailed 25-18 with 6:05 to play in the half. Gardner-Webb closed the half on a 14-6 run and held a 39-24 edge over the Valkyries.
Jay Mitchell (Clemmons, N.C.) came off the bench and went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the opening half. Lorange led the team with 15 first half points and
Earl Burgess III (Spartanburg, S.C.) had a team high five rebounds against the Runnin' Bulldogs.
The Valkyries started with the ball in the second half and
Wes Morgan (Charlotte, N.C.) scored the first three-point basket of the half. In the Valkyries second possession down the court
Jimmie Sanders III (Dallas, Texas) recorded his first points of the game with a mid-range jumper. The Runnin' Bulldogs countered the Valkyries quick offense with a 6-0 run going into the first media timeout of the second half.
Both teams played emptied out their benches as every player from both teams saw action in the game. Gardner-Webb finished the game on a 14-2 run and held the Valkyries to just 20 second half points.
Lorange led the Valkyries with 19-points while Mitchell finished second on the team with six-points. Burgess III had a team best 8-rebounds in the loss while six different players tallied an assist in the loss to Gardner-Webb.
Next Up:
The men's basketball team will be back in action tomorrow afternoon against USC Upstate. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m. inside the G.B. Hodge Center on the campus of USC Upstate.
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