GAME NOTES: Before playing their first home game of the season this coming weekend, the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs will face off against the Old Dominion Monarchs in the championship round of the 2014 Paradise Jam on Monday evening.

Gardner-Webb, which will host Brevard College in the home opener on Nov. 29, has split the first four games of 2014-15, including the first two outings in this tournament. The squad slipped by Clemson on Friday by a 72-70 score before bowing to Seton Hall yesterday, 85-67.

As for the Monarchs, they got off to a 3-0 start, thanks to home wins over UNC Wilmington and Richmond, followed by a 70-61 triumph over LSU in the first round of this tourney. But then the team was tripped up by Illinois State on Sunday, 64-45.

Old Dominion won the only previous meeting between the two programs, 84-57, more than a decade ago.

Against Seton Hall, the Bulldogs managed to shoot only 36.8 percent from the floor and 5-of-21 behind the 3-point line, en route to the 18-point loss on Sunday. Jerome Hill paced the GW offense with 15 points, converting 11-of-17 at the free-throw line, followed by Tyler Strange and Adonis Burbage with 13 and 10 points, respectively, for a squad that lost the battle of the boards (48-33) and ended up with 16 turnovers along the way.

Scoring a solid 75.2 ppg, the Bulldogs are paced by Hill on offense with his 17.0 ppg, not to mention leading the way on the glass as well with seven boards per contest. Strange, with his two 3-pointers per contest, adds another 14.2 ppg to the assault, followed by Tyrell Nelson and Jarvis Davis with 14.0 and 12.2 ppg, respectively. Unfortunately, while there are four double-digit scorers on the roster, the team is also giving up a hefty 78.8 ppg at the same time.

Old Dominion didn't stand much of a chance against the Redbirds the last time out, shooting only 34.0 percent from the floor and making a mere seven field goals in the second half, while missing all seven chances behind the 3-point line in the frame. Trey Freeman actually finished as the game's high scorer with 16 points, but that's only after he shot 6-of-17 from the field, including 1-of-8 beyond the arc. Richard Ross was far more accurate from the floor (6-of-7) as he tallied 15 points in 25 minutes of work.

Through the first three games of the season Freeman was shooting an impressive 51.4 percent from the field and was 20-of-22 at the free-throw line, which is why he was leading the way with 20.3 ppg. As a team, ODU is now producing 63.5 ppg on offense as the group shoots only 41.8 percent from the floor.

The Runnin' Bulldogs are surrendering close to 80 ppg at this point, which is more than enough reason to think Gardner-Webb will probably go down against Old Dominion even if the Bulldogs play well today.