Box score (PDF)
HIGH POINT, N.C.- Four played scored in double-figures as the Gardner-Webb women's basketball team outscored High Point 25-12 in the fourth quarter in a 79-72 victory on Saturday afternoon in the Millis Center.
With the win, Gardner-Webb improves to 16-9 and 10-5 in the Big South, while High Point falls to 8-15 and 7-7 in conference play.
Candace Brown led the way offensive for GWU with 24 points and Olivia Parker recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Parker also was a beast on the defensive end recording a career-high seven blocks, which is tied for the second most blocks in a single game.
Morgan Ackermann also was in double-figures for the Runnin' Bulldogs with a career-high 11 points and Tierra Huntsman chipped in with 10 points and dished out five assists, while Haleigh Hatfield led High Point with 24 points on 6-of-8 from behind the three-point line.
Evelyn Adebayo was a spark plug off the bench for Gardner-Webb setting a new career-high with eight points as the Runnin' Bulldogs bench outscored the Panthers 23-10.
Both teams shot the ball well in the first half as High Point connected on 16-of-35 from the field for a 45.7% clip and 4-of-6 from downtown, while Gardner-Webb shot 46.9% and was 5-of-9 from downtown.
The second half was a completely different story as the Runnin' Bulldogs shot 53.3% and clamped down on defense, holding the Panthers to 33.3% (13-of-39)
Huntsman drilled a three to open the scoring but High Point would come roaring back with a 14-0 run to take a 14-3 lead at the first media time. The Panthers hit six of their first shots, while GWU went just 1-of-7 in the opening five minutes.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would trail for the remainder of the quarter but shot 6-of-8 over the final 5:12 and trailed 25-17 at the end of 10 minutes. Ackermann came off the bench and drilled three shots from behind the three-point arc, including hitting a three-pointer with 29 seconds remaining in the opening 10 minutes
Gardner-Webb carried its momentum into the second quarter as Huntsman scored five straight points which forced High Point to take a timeout with 7:35 left in the second quarter.
High Point held the lead for the remainder of the quarter jumping out to its largest advantage on a jumper by Emma Bockrath, 32-25 with 5:11 left, but Parker's layup with 43 seconds left in the half cut the HPU lead to 40-38 at the halftime break.
Alexus Hill gave GWU its first lead of the game on a three-pointer 43-42 early in the second half, but the Panthers regained the lead right back and took a 60-54 advantage into the final 10 minutes.
Gardner-Webb started off the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run over the first 2:30 to take a 62-60 lead, but the Panthers regained the lead as Kat Harris hit two jump shots and Hatfield drilled her sixth three-pointer of the game, forcing a timeout by the Runnin' Bulldogs with 4:07 left in regulation.
After the timeout, Brown connected on a layup and after a missed three-point shot by Hatfield, Adebayo made a great post move and scored a layup to put GWU ahead for good.
The Panthers were forced to foul down the stretch to keep the game alive, but Brown hit 4-of-5 from the line and Kiera Currie made two free-throws in the final seconds as Gardner-Webb outscored High Point 25-12 in the final corner to pick up a 79-72 victory.
