Gardner-Webb Advances To Big South Quarterfinals With 68-57 Win Over Winthrop

Thursday, March 8

Lynchburg, Va.

8:00 pm

Gardner-Webb University

(19-12)

Winthrop

(3-27)

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Winthrop	10	7	11	29	57
Gardner-Webb	8	17	27	16	68

Coach Reeves Postgame Interview Tierra Huntsman Postgame Interview Highlights

Photo by: © Todd Drexler, BigSouthPhotos.com

Gardner-Webb Advances To Big South Quarterfinals With 68-57 Win Over Winthrop

March 08, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score @GWU_WBK Tierra Huntsman Postgame Interview Coack Reeves Postgame Interview

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Gardner-Webb overcame a cold start in the first period to hand Winthrop a double-digit loss as the No. 7 Runnin' Bulldogs defeated the No. 10 Eagles by a 68-57 score in the first round of the 2018 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va.

Gardner-Webb (19-12) made just 21.1 percent of their baskets in the opening period, but warmed up over the course of play, including a 52.4 percent third period to shoot at a 38.7 percent clip for the game, making 29-of-75 attempts from the floor.

Winthrop (3-27) made 22-of-56 of its attempts on the evening, shooting at a 39.3 percent rate.

GWU had four scorers in double-digits, paced by 19 points from Tierra Huntsman. The redshirt-senior guard went 8-of-15 from the floor. Carley Plentovich had 13 points, while Alexus Hill and Savannah Plentovich each added 12 points.

Ronata Rogers, Airneisha Gamble, and Kayla Atkins each had 10 points to lead the Eagles offensively.

The Runnin' Bulldogs got off to a slow start, missing their first seven attempts from the floor before Huntsman connected with a second-chance basket with 6:56 on the clock.

GWU would go on another long scoreless drought, missing its next seven chances, until Hill knocked down a mid-range jumper, setting the score at 8-4 in Winthrop's favor with 1:29 to go in the opening period.

That basket sparked a 6-2 run for the 'Dogs over the remainder of the quarter, with Carley Plentovich laying the final basket of the period off of the glass and in with 0:46 remaining, pulling Gardner-Webb within one basket at 10-8 at the end of the first period.

Hill gave Gardner-Webb its first lead of the contest, making the first basket of the second period, a three-pointer with 8:19 on the clock, but Winthrop answered on its next possession, retaking the lead at 12-11 with 7:58 on the clock on a layup by Courtney Hagaman.

That was the last time the Runnin' Bulldogs would trail in the contest, as Huntsman knocked down a pair of free throws on GWU's next trip down the court, beginning a 14-5 run that gave the 'Dogs a 25-17 lead at the break.

Hill gave Gardner-Webb a double-digit lead immediately after the break, scoring on a mid-range jumper with 9:51 on the clock. Winthrop would pull within single digits at 30-21 with 7:03 to go on a pair of free throws by Rogers, but Huntsman put GWU back on top by 11 points on a put-back basket with 6:43 left, sparking a 22-7 run over the remainder of the frame.

Gardner-Webb would lead by 24 points at the end of the third period at 52-28 as Savannah Plentovich nailed a corner three as time expired.

The 'Dogs pushed their lead to a game-high 26 points with 8:32 left in the final period on a tough layup by Huntsman, and would lead by 25 points at 61-36 on another basket off the glass by Huntsman with 5:38 to go.

Gardner-Webb would then call a timeout to bring in its reserves for the final minutes, in which Winthrop outscored the Runnin' Bulldogs by a 21-7 margin to set the final score at 68-57.

Gardner-Webb advances to take on the No. 2 seeded Radford Highlanders at 6:00 pm tomorrow evening as the 2018 Big South Women's Basketball Championship rolls on. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com) with legendary play-by-play man Mike Hogewood and Ralph Patterson on the call.

The game will also air live on WGWG.org, with Brendan Boylan providing an audio call of the action.