BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Lauren Bevis scored 22 points in her first start of the season to lead Gardner-Webb to a 68-56 win over visiting Winthrop on Valentine's Day evening inside Paul Porter Arena.
 
Gardner-Webb (6-11, 6-6 Big South) trailed Winthrop (6-12, 5-10 Big South) by a 38-33 margin, but a strong second half by Bevis, in which she had 14 points, and strong defensive effort by the 'Dogs, forcing 20 turnovers in the second half, led to GWU outscoring the Eagles by a 35-18 margin during that stretch.
 
For the game, Gardner-Webb was 26-of-62 (41.9 percent) from the floor and 9-of-25 (36.0 percent) from long distance.  Winthrop was 21-of-46 (45.7 percent) and was 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
Bevis led all scorers on the day with 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three-point range.  Jhessyka Williams followed with a solid all-around effort with 17 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and seven steals.  Cierra Bell added 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the bench, while Alasia Smith pulled down a team high 10 boards.
 
Tori Hall led Winthrop with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 18 minutes of action.
 
Both teams will square off again tomorrow evening at 6:00 pm from Paul Porter Arena, with live coverage on ESPN+ (WatchESPN.com / ESPN App) with Fabian Fuentes and Reggie Walker on the call.