BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb's furious rally in the final quarter of play fell short Saturday afternoon as the Runnin' Bulldogs dropped a 70-68 decision to visiting USC Upstate inside Paul Porter Arena.
 
Gardner-Webb (5-10, 5-5 Big South) trailed USC Upstate (5-12, 3-9 Big South) by 14 points with 9:49 to go in the fourth period, but the 'Dogs began to battle back with a 17-5 run over the next 7:02 to pull within a single possession after a deep three-pointer by Lauren Bevis set the score at 63-61 with 2:47 to go.
 
Upstate made baskets in its following two possessions to expand its lead back to six points with 1:44 to go, yet the Runnin' Bulldogs continued to claw back, pulling within two points again with 16 seconds left on a Ki'Ari Cain jumper.
 
Anda Kuzmina missed a pair of free throws for the Spartans with 12 seconds left, giving GWU a chance to tie or claim the lead in the final seconds, but a tough driving layup by Jhessyka Williams didn't fall as time expired, giving USC Upstate the 70-68 decision.
 
Gardner-Webb was 29-of-72 (40.3 percent) from the floor, including 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.  The 'Dogs got off to a cold start on the day, making just 9-of-33 (27.3 percent) of their attempts in the first half, trailing USC Upstate by as many as 20 points at the half.
 
Cain led a quartet of Runnin' Bulldogs that scored in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-6 from downtown.  Alasia Smith had 14 points along with nine rebounds, while Williams totaled 14 points and Bevis added 12 points from the bench.
 
The Spartans made 27-of-44 attempts on the afternoon, shooting at a blistering 61.4 percent rate, including 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from long distance.
 
Jada Logan paced the USC Upstate attack with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting and a team-high eight boards.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action Friday, January 29 at Campbell.  Tip-off is slated for 5:00 pm in Buies Creek, N.C. with live coverage on ESPN+ (WatchESPN.com / ESPN App).