BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Tierra Huntsman and Celia Tibbs each posted their first career double-doubles as Gardner-Webb defeated USC Upstate by a score of 60-39 on Tuesday afternoon inside Paul Porter Arena.
 
Gardner-Webb improved to 5-2 on the season while the Spartans dropped to 1-6 overall.
 
Huntsman scored 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting and pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, while Tibbs had career highs in both points (10) and rebounds (16).  Her 16 boards were the most by a Gardner-Webb player since Olivia Parker had 16 at Coastal Carolina on February 27, 2016.
 
It was also the first time that two Runnin' Bulldogs had double-doubles in the same game since November 14, 2016 in a 92-45 win over Montreat.
 
Gardner-Webb made 25 of their 64 attempts from the floor, shooting at a 39.1 percentage, while holding USC Upstate to just 24.0 percent, going 12-of-50 for the game.
 
Alexus Hill led the Runnin' Bulldogs in scoring with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
 
USC Upstate was led offensively by Riley Popplewell, who had eight points off of the bench.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs got off to a hot start, making 10-of-15 shots in the first period, while holding the Spartans to just five points to lead by a score of 25-5 at the end of the opening frame.
 
Gardner-Webb would build its lead to as high as 23 points in the opening minutes of the second period after a made free throw by Huntsman with 8:15 on the clock, but USC Upstate would respond with a 19-3 run over the next 7:30 to pull within seven points at 31-24.  Carley Plentovich would score in the final seconds to give GWU a nine-point advantage at 33-24 at the half.
 
GWU would once again build a double-digit lead in the third period, holding USC Upstate to a 1-of-11 shooting performance to increase its lead to 17 points at 49-32.  The Runnin' Bulldogs scored 10 of their 16 points in the period in the paint, while six of USC Upstate's eight points came from the free-throw line.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs would continue to increase their lead in the fourth period, leading by a game-high 25 points with 3:10 remaining after a layup by Morgan Pointer, and would go on to win by a margin of 21 points at 60-39.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Tuesday, December 5, hosting Wofford.  The game is set for a 7:00 pm start time and can be seen on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).