Box score (PDF)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Alexus Hill scored a game-high 18 points and the Gardner-Webb women's basketball team outrebounded Winthrop 51-27 as it avenged an early season loss with a 70-52 victory on Saturday afternoon in Paul Porter Arena.

The Runnin' Bulldogs led 33-29 at halftime but put the game away in the second half with a great defensive effort, as GWU shot 42.3% (11-26) compared to 27.3% (9-33) and outscored the Eagles 35-23.

Despite holding a 21-13 advantage in offensive rebonds, Gardner-Webb managed just 18 second chance points to Winthrop's 16, but utilized the free-throw line to its advantage, knocking down 13-of-19 attempts, while the Eagles hit just 4-of-7.

Candace Brown and Tierra Huntsman also had double-digit scoring performances on the afternoon with 13 points each and Olivia Parker returned from a two-game absence scoring scored nine points and hauling down five boards in 27 minutes.

Aliyah Kilpatrick and Arianna Whitaker each had 15 for the Eagles and Whitaker commanded the glass hauling down a game-high nine rebounds, fourr of those on the offensive side of the basketball.

The Eagles held a 9-8 lead midway through the first quarter, but back-to-back three points by Huntsman and Hill, followed by a layup by Parker put GWU ahead 16-9 with 2:24 to go in the first quarter.

Parker followed with a layup and an old fashioned three-point play as GWU led 21-16 at the end of the first quarter.

Gardner-Webb pushed its lead to 10 (28-18) with 5:25 remaining in the first half on a free-throw by Ky'Asia Stanford, but Whitaker's layup with 21 seconds left cut the GWU lead to 35-29 heading into the halftime break.

The scored remained close throughout the third quarter as Gardner-Webb led by no more than five points at any points. Winthrop tied the game on two separate occasions, but Brown's free-throws with three seconds left in the third quarter gave GWU a 47-45 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Kilpatrick's jump shot just under 1:30 into the final quarter cut the GWU lead to 50-49, but the Runnin' Bulldogs put the game away with a 20-3 run over the final 8:19 of the period.

Gardner-Webb held the Eagles to just one field goal in in the final 8:19 as it outscored Winthrop 23-7 in the final stanza to send the Dogs to the 70-52 victory.

The Runnin' Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, when they travel to Radford, Va. To face the Highlanders at 7:00 p.m.