BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Tierra Huntsman scored a game-high 20 points to help Gardner-Webb break its two-game losing skid as the Runnin' Bulldogs defeated visiting Charleston Southern, 68-52, on Saturday afternoon.
 
Huntsman reached the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season, making 8-of-18 attempts from the floor, including a 4-for-9 performance from long distance.  Alexus Hill added 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting for the day.
 
Gardner-Webb (13-5, 3-3 Big South) made just 24-of-63 (38.1 percent) of their attempts from the floor, but outshot Charleston Southern (7-10, 2-4 Big South), who went 19-of-55 (34.5 percent) for the afternoon.
 
CSU had two scorers in double-digits, led by Shauntavia Dobson with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting.  Weknyne Dumorne had 13 points on a 6-of-12 afternoon.
 
Charleston Southern would open the game with an early 6-3 lead with 6:57 on the clock after a driving basket off the glass by Rachel Burns, but GWU would answer with two straight baskets, taking a 7-6 lead with 5:44 to go after a Huntsman layup.
 
The Buccaneers reclaimed the lead on a Dobson three pointer with 5:01 left in the opening frame, but that would be the last lead of the first half for CSU as Hill would connect with a layup on GWU's next possession, sparking an 11-0 run for the Runnin' Bulldogs over the next 4:35.
 
Dobson would knock down another basket from long range to close out the first quarter as Gardner-Webb led Charleston Southern, 18-12.
 
Gardner-Webb would expand its lead to eight points at the onset of the second period on a put-back basket by Celia Tibbs, but Charleston Southern would chip away at GWU's lead, tying the score at 28-28 on a pair of free throws by Njeri Nelms just before halftime.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs opened the third period with a 6-2 run, building a four-point advantage at 34-30 after a three-pointer by Savannah Plentovich with 7:14 on the clock, yet Charleston Southern responded with a 7-0 run over the next 1:15 to lead by three points at 37-34 after a mid-range jumber by Dumorne with 5:59 to go.
 
GWU answered with a 10-1 run to close out the third period, capping the run with a Carley Plentovich layup to lead by six at 44-38 as play headed to the final period.
Gardner-Webb pushed its lead to ten points with 5:54 left in the fourth period as a layup by Morgan Pointer set the score at 50-40.  CSU responded with one last run, scoring six unanswered points over the next 2:21 to pull within four points at 50-46 with 3:30 to go.
 
Tibbs would draw a foul on GWU's next possession and would sink both free throw attempts with 3:12 remaining to break the CSU run.  This sparked an 18-6 run over the remainder of the game for the Runnin' Bulldogs, as they would make 14-of-16 attempts at the charity stripe to seal the 16-point victory, 68-52.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Tuesday, January 23, hosting Campbell at 7:00 pm. The contest can be viewed live on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).