BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb had five players score ten or more points as the Runnin' Bulldogs returned from Thanksgiving break to defeat Montreat College by a score of 83-26 on Saturday afternoon inside Paul Porter Arena.
 
Gardner-Webb (4-2) made 35-of-73 buckets to shoot at a 47.9 percentage, while holding Montreat (3-5) to an 8-of-46 shooting performance at 17.4 percent. GWU outscored the visiting Cavaliers by a 46-6 margin in the paint, and had a 32-3 advantage on points off of turnovers.
 
Tierra Huntsman led the Runnin' Bulldogs with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, followed by Alexus Hill, who poured in 13 points on a 6-of-9 performance from the floor.  Alexis Hueston had 11 points and Morgan Pointer had 10 points off of the bench, and Ky'Asia Stanford also had a 10-point afternoon.
 
Gardner-Webb had a season-high 52 total rebounds, with Corinna Wiegand grabbing a career-high 11 boards.  The redshirt-freshman also scored the first four points of her collegiate career, going 2-for-6 from the floor.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start, as the first made field goal took place with 7:11 on the clock in the opening period as Huntsman knocked down a mid-range jumper.  That sparked a 17-0 run by the Runnin' Bulldogs over the next three minutes, giving GWU an 18-2 lead with 4:00 on the clock after a fast-break layup by Carley Plentovich.  GWU would go on to lead by 20 points at 24-4 at the end of the first period.  Montreat was held to an 0-for-8 performance in the period, scoring all four points at the free throw line.
 
GWU would increase its advantage in the second period, outscoring Montreat by a 18-11 margin to lead by 27 points, 42-15, at halftime.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs would come out firing on all cylinders in the third period, making 11-of-16 baskets to shoot at 68.8 percent for the frame to lead by 43 points at 67-24 at the end of the quarter.  The GWU defense held the Cavaliers to nine points, while the offense closed the period on an 8-0 run over the final 2:32 of play.
 
Gardner-Webb's reserves played the entire fourth period, yet the defensive effort was still flawless as Montreat was just 1-for-14 for the quarter, shooting just 7.1 percent from the floor.  Kate Stainer and Taylor Kelley scored their first career points for GWU in the frame, as Stainer knocked down a corner three with 2:22 on the clock and Kelley drove in the lane and converted a layup in the final seconds.  GWU outscored Montreat, 16-2, in the final ten minutes, as the 'Dogs took the game by a final margin of 57 points at 83-26.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Tuesday morning, as the Runnin' Bulldogs host USC Upstate at 11:00 am in an Education Day game.  Several local elementary school students will be invited to the game, with opportunities to tour the campus of Gardner-Webb University during their visit.  The game will also be broadcast on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).