Gardner-Webb Shocks No. 20 Kentucky at Rupp Arena

The Runnin’ Bulldogs (2-0) opened up a 14-0 lead and had the home crowd of 19,800 silenced for much of the first half.

Thomas Sanders had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Gardner-Webb in their 84-68 win over No. 20 Kentucky.

LEXINGTON, Ky - Gardner-Webb experienced its finest athletic moment Wednesday night on the floor at famed Rupp Arena, out-playing No. 20 Kentucky in an 84-68 win.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs (2-0) opened up a 14-0 lead and had the home crowd of 19,800 silenced for much of the first half.

Each time the Wildcats (1-1) made a slight run, GWU had an answer – whether it was a clutch defensive rebound by center Auryn MacMillan, a dagger-like jumper from Grayson Flittner or Aaron Linn – or a slicing drive to the cup by Thomas Sanders or freshman Nate Blank.

GWU led by 11 at the half, and pushed its advantage to as many as 18 twice in the second half after Kentucky posted a pair of brief rallies to pull as close as seven points.

With the lead stretching back into double digits and less than 10 minutes to play, Kentucky was not able to mount any significant runs – and the Wildcat faithful began to file out of Rupp Arena.

When the final buzzer sounded, Gardner-Webb had knocked off its first nationally-ranked men’s basketball opponent in school history.

"A lot of people will think this is a misprint, but I hope not," Gardner-Webb coach Rick Scruggs said after the game. "I hope they get to see it and can enjoy it. It's going to take a few days to settle in."

Flittner, a walk-on at Gardner-Webb who played his way into a scholarship after a fine freshman year, finished with a career-best 22 points in the game – helping Gardner-Webb shoot 73.3 percent in the second half of a complete team performance.

Sanders added 21 points and 10 rebounds for Gardner-Webb, with Regional MVP Aaron Linn (15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals) and Nate Blank (12 points) also hitting double digits in scoring. Takayo Siddle had a solid eight points off the bench.

Gardner-Webb sizzled the nets on Wednesday after opening play on Tuesday with a cold night from the floor – hitting 26-of-49 shots (53.1 percent) in the game against UK.

Ramel Bradley led Kentucky with 24 points, but had much of his offensive burst after the game was out of reach. McDonald’s All-America forward Patrick Patterson had 12 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes.

Gardner-Webb will play next on Tuesday night at home, hosting Division II North Greenville at 8 pm ET in Paul Porter Arena. The GWU women host Georgetown (Big East) that same night at 6 pm ET.

Source: Gardner-Webb Athletics

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