Auryn MacMillan had 17 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots as Gardner-Webb opened its season Saturday with an 89-48 rout of Covenant College. MacMillan, a senior from Melbourne, Australia, made 8 of 10 shots while playing just 20 minutes. Senior Grayson Flittner, playing point guard for the Bulldogs for the first time, scored 8 points, had 6 assists and 2 steals in 20 minutes. Gardner-Webb used a 30-2 run to take a 39-12 lead over the Division III Scots with just more than four minutes before intermission. The Bulldogs led by as much as 44 points in the second half. Gardner-Webb ran the floor well, outscoring Covenant 25-2 on the fast break and turning 28 Scots turnovers into 30 points. Covenant, which had a 2-29 record last season, shot just 27.1 percent for the game (16 of 59), with forward Sam Bowman leading the scoring with 10 points.
