BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb had three scorers in double-figures, as the Runnin' Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 68-55 win over the visiting Winthrop Eagles on Saturday afternoon inside Paul Porter Arena.
The Runnin' Bulldogs improved to 15-9 overall and 5-7 in Big South Conference play, while the Eagles dropped to 2-21 overall and 1-11 in league action.
Alexus Hill led GWU with a game-high 21 points on a 9-of-14 shooting performance. The senior guard also led the team off the glass, pulling down eight rebounds.
Tierra Huntsman and
Ky'Asia Stanford each added 13 points on the day.
Winthrop was led offensively by Ronata Rogers, who scored 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor. Miquela Santoro added 11 points, also going 5-of-11 for the afternoon.
Gardner-Webb made 26 of its 54 attempts for the game, shooting at 48.1 percent, the team's best shooting percentage since a 51.0 percent performance on January 6, part of a 69-53 win over Radford. Winthrop made 42.6 percent of its baskets (23-of-54), including a 5-of-14 day from long distance.
Turnovers proved to be a key factor in today's game, as Winthrop turned the ball over 19 times, compared to just nine turnovers for GWU. The Runnin' Bulldogs capitalized on the Eagles misfortunes, scoring 23 points off of turnovers, while Winthrop had just 11 points in that category.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to an immediate advantage, opening the contest with a 15-3 run over the first 5:57 of play, and would lead by 15 at 20-5 at the end of the first period.
Winthrop would fight back throughout the second period, outscoring GWU by a 14-4 margin over the first 4:23 of play. The Runnin' Bulldogs would break the run with 5:21 on the clock as
Celia Tibbs knocked down one of two attempts at the free throw line, and would outscore the Eagles, 10-4, throughout the remainder of the quarter to lead by 11 points at 34-23 at the half.
GWU expanded its advantage to as many as 14 points with 5:43 left in the third period after a fast-break layup by Tibbs, but the Eagles began to claw back, closing the frame on a 12-5 run to pull within seven points as time expired on a put back basket by Rogers as time expired to set the score at 49-42.
Courtney Hagaman knocked down a deep three-point basket to open the fourth period for Winthrop, bringing the Eagles within four points with 9:57 on the clock. Gardner-Webb called a timeout to regroup, and the Runnin' Bulldogs responded, answering with an 8-0 run over the next 2:58. Both Hill and Stanford knocked down a mid-range jumper and made a pair of free throws during that stretch, giving Gardner-Webb a 12-point lead at 57-45 with 6:59 to go.
GWU pushed its lead to a game-high 16 points with 3:29 remaining on a tough driving layup by Hill, and would go on to take a 13-point decision at 68-55.
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Tuesday morning, hosting Longwood at 11:00 am in an Education Day showdown in front of several local elementary and middle school students. The game will also be broadcast on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).
