Green's Double-Double Powers Gardner-Webb To 71-60 Win Over UNCG
November 12, 2013 | Women's Basketball
Green, a Greensboro, N.C., native (Western Guilford HS) made 9-of-11 shots, pulled down 10 of her 12 boards on the defensive end, posted three steals and blocked a shot in just 22 minutes of action for Gardner-Webb (2-0).
Her work on the defensive end was a theme for Gardner-Webb on Monday, as the Runnin' Bulldogs clamped down in the second half to build a double digit lead. GWU limited the Spartans (0-2) to just 22.9 percent shooting in the second half (8-of-35) and 27.3 percent for the game (18-of-66).
Behind Green, Gardner-Webb owned a 54-40 edge on the backboards and overpowered the Spartans in a game that featured 50 combined fouls and 42 turnovers.
The Runnin' Bulldogs got 10 points, seven assists and three steals from point guard Mayhana Dunovant and 10 points, three rebounds from Jasmine Dale in the win.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a pair of Jessica Heilig free throws and led 12-4 after a layup from Dunovant with 15:48 to play in the opening half. Greensboro rallied with a 10-2 run to tie the score on a 3-pointer from Breonna Patterson with 12:06 before halftime - and the visitors would push ahead by as many as five points before Gardner-Webb could recover.
The Runnin' Bulldogs closed the half on a 13-5 run, taking the lead for good with 13.4 seconds left on a 3-pointer by freshman Kierra Currie - off an assist from Dunovant. That lead ballooned to 44-30 after halftime, as Green scored six points in an 11-0 run out of the locker room.
Gardner-Webb's lead would reach as many as 16 points on a Christina McQueen layup with 11:23 to go, but UNC Greensboro would mount a brief rally to trim the margin. The Spartans would not get any closer than eight points the rest of the way - doing so at the 3:38 mark on a 3-pointer from Lucy Mason.
Free throws by Green and Dunovant quickly pushed the lead back into double figures, and UNC Greensboro would not be able to trim the margin into single digits the rest of the way.
Gardner-Webb shot 41.8 percent for the game (23-of-55) and made 21 free throws (56.8 percent), but it was the defensive effort that paved the way to Monday's win. GWU blocked five shots, picked off 14 steals.
In addition to the three players in double figures, Gardner-Webb got seven points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals from the versatile Candace Brown, seven points and four boards from Olivia Parker and five points, seven rebounds and two blocks from Heilig.
It marked the second time this season that GWU had at least seven players scored five points or more.
UNC Greensboro got a team-high 16 points from Patterson, who took 15 shots to get to her total. Jarae Savage scored 12 points and pulled down eight caroms - and Mason scored 10 points before fouling out.
Gardner-Webb returns home on Thursday night, hosting Kennesaw State at 7:00 pm in Paul Porter Arena. The game will air live on WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org) and the Big South Network.
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