Box Score (PDF)
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Candace Brown scored a game-high 17 points, hauled down nine rebounds and added six steals as the Gardner-Webb women's basketball team (5-1, 1-0 BSC) clipped Liberty (2-5, 0-1 BSC) 61-57 in the Big South Conference opener on Wednesday evening in Paul Porter Arena.
This is the first victory for the Runnin' Bulldogs in their conference opener, since they defeated Charleston Southern to open up Big South play in the 2010-11 season.
Gardner-Webb struggled to shoot the ball knocking down just 21-74 of its attempts for the game, but played an aggressive half-court defense, forcing 31 turnovers by Liberty and turned the TO's into 23 points compared to just 18 for the Flames.
Tierra Huntsman continued her solid play to begin the season scoring 14 points on 5-9 from the floor and Alexus Hill added 12 points and four steals to round out the double-digit scorers for the Runnin' Bulldogs, while Sadalia Ellis had 12 points to lead the Flames.
The Runnin' Bulldogs held preseason Big South Player of the Year Ashley Rininger to 10 points on 4-10 shooting from the floor, including holding her scoreless in the first half, as the Liberty senior forward picked up her second foul at the 5:50 mark of the first period and would sit for the remainder of the first half.
Liberty jumped out to a quick six point lead early in the first period, holding GWU without a basket till the 6:18 mark when Hill hit a jumper.
Catherine Kearney scored a layup with just over three minutes to go in the opening period to give the Flames a 13-6 lead, but Gardner-Webb answered with an 8-2 run over the final minutes and would trail 15-14 after the opening 10 minutes.
The Flames increased their lead back to five on a jumper by Katelyn Adams with just under two minutes expired in the second stanze, but Gardner-Webb would tie the game on two different occasions in the second period. Hill knocked down two free-throws with 36 seconds left in the half and the Runnin' Bulldogs took their first lead of the game 24-23 into the locker room at halftime.
Neither team shot the ball well in the opening half as Liberty was limited to just 8-27 from the floor, while Gardner-Webb hit just nine of its 36 attempts.
Following the halftime intermission, GWU and Liberty played to a back and forth battle in the third period as the third 10 minute session featured six ties and five lead changes, and both teams headed into the final stanza deadlocked at 39.
Brown opened the final period with a layup to put GWU ahead 41-39, but Rininger hit 2-2 from the line to tie the game at 41. Ellis converted a layup with 5:53 left to go to five the Flames a six point lead (50-44), their largest of the final period.
A Brown layup followed by a three pointer by Huntsman cut the GWU defecit down to one with 4:45 left in the game. Huntsman was at it again with just over three minutes left, as she nailed a jumper to put Gardner-Webb ahead by one (53-52).
Rininger answered back with a layup to give Liberty the lead for the final time, but Brown responded with a three to put GWU ahead by two, 56-54 with 2:32 left.
Liberty trailed by two with under 20 seconds to go and was forced to foul, and sending Brown to the foul line. Brown hit both of her free-throws to put Gardner-Webb up 59-57.
After a timeout by Liberty, the Flames drew up a play for Rininger but her attempt came up just short and Kiera Currie grabbed the rebound, before she was fouled with just over a second remaining.
Currie nailed both free-throws to give Gardner-Webb the 61-57 victory over Liberty, its first win over the Flames since March 13, 2011.
