Preview: Georgia Southern Eagles at Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs SHELBY, N.C. (Interstat) — The Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, still in search of their first win, will host the Georgia Southern Eagles in a non-conference men’s basketball game on Saturday at Paul Porter Arena. Gardner-Webb (0-10) enters on a 10-game skid to open the season, most recently suffering a 107-74 road loss to Queens University of North Carolina on Wednesday. Jacob Hogarth led the team with 15 points in that defeat. The sophomore guard has been a consistent scorer, averaging 10.6 points per game and reaching double figures in five contests this season, including a 15-point, 12-rebound performance at Elon on Nov. 15. Georgia Southern (5-5) arrives with momentum after a 77-69 home victory over Louisiana Tech on Wednesday. The Eagles have alternated wins and losses over their past six games. The Eagles are powered by guard Tavarus Webb, who is coming off a career-high 32-point performance against Louisiana Tech. Over his last three games, the dynamic scorer is averaging 21.7 points. For the season, Webb leads Georgia Southern with 17.7 points and 3.6 assists per game. Gardner-Webb’s defense, which has allowed an average of 90.2 points per game, will face a significant challenge in containing Webb and a Georgia Southern offense averaging 78.8 points. The Eagles have shown explosiveness, scoring 93 points or more in three of their five wins. Historically, this is a rare meeting between the programs. For Gardner-Webb, it represents one of its final opportunities to break into the win column before opening Big South Conference play on Jan. 3. Georgia Southern views the contest as a chance to build a winning streak before its Sun Belt Conference slate begins in January. Tipoff is set for Saturday afternoon.