Box score (PDF)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Alexus Hill scored a game-high 17 points, all in the first half, and Candace Brown notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards as the Gardner-Webb women's basketball team took down first-place UNC Asheville 57-51 on Tuesday night in Paul Porter Arena.

Prior to tonight's start, Gardner-Webb's three seniors were honored, Candace Brown, Olivia Parker, and Alicia Quinn.

With the win, Gardner-Webb improves to 18-10 overall and moves to 12-6 in conference play, while UNC Asheville falls to 21-5 and 14-3 in conference play.

Gardner-Webb started out hot, shooting 51.7% in the first half, but struggled on offense in the second half knocking down just 6-of-28 from the field for a 21.4% clip.

While the Runnin' Bulldogs struggled on offense in the second half, GWU outrebounded UNC Asheville 25-20 in the second 20 minutes and kept possessions alive hauling down 15 offensive boards compared to just eight four the Bulldogs. For the game, the Runnin' Bulldogs held a 47-33 advantage in rebounds as well as a 23-14 lead in offensive boards. 

Ky'Asia Stanford made her first start of her career and was a spark plug on offense, dishing out a career-high five assists. Evelyn Adebayo came off the bench and chipped in offensively while Parker was in foul trouble, as the freshman had seven points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.

Hill scored 13 straight points, hitting the first four shots that she took as GWU jumped out to a 15-6 lead midway through the first quarter. The Runnin' Bulldogs shot 76.9% in the first 10 minutes including 4-for-6 from behind the three-point arc, as GWU led 24-13 heading into the second quarter.

Gardner-Webb led the entire second quarter and the Bulldogs cut the lead to eight with 1:01 left in the first half, but Adebayo came off the bench and scored five points and four rebounds in the second 10 minutes as GWU led 38-28 at halftime.

UNC Asheville held Gardner-Webb to just six points in the third quarter on 3-of-16 shooting, as the Bulldogs continued to chip away at the deficit and trailed by j42-38 midway through the quarter.

The Bulldogs held GWU to two points over the final 7:08 of the third quarter and headed into the final stanza trailing just 44-42.

Brown and Parker hit back-to-back layups to open the fourth quarter to push the GWU lead to six with 8:13 to go in regulation, but UNCA trimmed the deficit to one (50-49) with just over five minutes left in regulation.

Despite the poor shooting in the second half, Gardner-Webb held the Bulldogs to just two points over the final 5:05 of the fourth quarter on 4-of-14 shooting, including 0-for-7 from behind the three-point arc.

The Runnin' Bulldogs held off UNC Asheville hitting 4-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute of regulation, and completed the season-sweep of UNCA with a 57-51 victory.

Gardner-Webb returns to action Saturday, when it travels to Coastal Carolina. Tip-off against the Chanticleers is set for 2:00 p.m.