FARMVILLE, Va. – Alexus Hill posted her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds to help lead Gardner-Webb to a 61-54 victory over Longwood on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Gardner-Webb improves to 12-3 overall and 2-1 in Big South play, while Longwood falls to 3-11 overall and 1-2 in league action.
 
Hill led the Runnin' Bulldogs offensively with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting for the day, while her 11 rebounds set a new career-high.  Savannah Plentovich followed with 10 points on a 2-of-6 performance from the floor.
 
Dayna Rouse led Longwood with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting, Autumn Childress followed with 11 points, as well as a game-high 18 rebounds.
 
Gardner-Webb opened the game with a 7-0 run, not allowing a Longwood basket until Dayna Rouse would score on a layup with 6:01 on the clock.  The Runnin' Bulldogs would build their lead back to seven points after a mid-range jumper by Hill with 4:22 remaining set the score at 9-2, but the Lancers would close the first period on a 13-4 run to lead by a 15-13 score.
 
Longwood would expand its lead to as many as six points with 7:43 to go in the second period after Rouse converted an old-fashioned three point play, yet the Runnin Bulldogs would answer with a 9-0 run, capped by a fast-break layup by Ky'Asia Stanford that gave GWU a 24-21 lead with 1:54 left in the half.
 
The Lancers would break the GWU run on their next possession on a layup by Kristina Antonenko, but Hill responded by knocking down a shot from long distance to give Gardner-Webb a four-point lead at 27-23 with 1:04 on the clock, and the team would lead by that margin, 29-25 at halftime.
 
Morgan Pointer would open the third period for the Runnin' Bulldogs with a three-point basket to give the team a seven-point advantage with 9:12 on the clock, yet Longwood slowly chipped away at the lead to tie the game at 39-39 with 35 seconds left in the frame after a three pointer by Rouse.  Nia Lee would draw a foul with two seconds left in the quarter, and would make the second of her two free throw attempts to give GWU a 40-39 edge as play headed into the final period.
 
Rouse would give the Lancers the lead at the onset of the fourth period on a layup with 9:21 on the clock, but GWU would reclaim the lead on its next trip down the floor as Plentovich would knock down a jumper while drawing a foul with 8:46 to go.  Plentovich would also make her free throw attempt, sparking a 10-0 run that saw GWU lead by nine points at 50-41 after a basket by Pointer from long distance with 5:55 to go.
 
Gardner-Webb would lead by as many as 14 points after Plentovich knocked down a pair of free throws with 40 seconds to go to set the score at 61-47.  Longwood would attempt to rally over the final seconds, scoring seven points over the final 24 seconds, but Gardner-Webb would go on to win by a 61-54 score.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs return to Paul Porter Arena for their next matchup, hosting Liberty on Saturday, January 13 at 3:00 pm.  The game can be viewed live on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).