ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Gardner-Webb battled back from an early deficit to cruise to a 73-53 win Thursday night at UNC Asheville in Big South Conference action.
 
Gardner-Webb (9-12, 9-7 Big South) trailed UNC Asheville (10-11, 9-7 Big South) by as many as ten points midway through the first period, but the Runnin' Bulldogs closed the frame on a 11-4 run to only trail by a 19-16 margin after one quarter.
 
Asheville expanded its lead to an eight-point margin at 31-23 with 5:05 to go in the second period, yet GWU would take control of the contest, closing the half with 11 unanswered points to take a 34-31 lead into the locker room.
 
Gardner-Webb controlled the remainder of the contest, outscoring UNC Asheville, 39-22, in the second half.
 
For the evening, the Runnin' Bulldogs shot an efficient 30-for-60 (50.0 percent) from the floor, including a 7-of-20 (35.0 percent) from long distance.  UNC Asheville was 20-of-51 (39.2 percent) and 3-of-18 (16.7 percent) from downtown.  GWU edged out Asheville on the glass, 35-30, and led in assists (17-9), steals (9-5), and blocked shots (6-1).
 
Jhessyka Williams led a trio of Runnin' Bulldogs in double-digit scoring with 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting, followed by Alasia Smith with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and Lauren Bevis with 14 points on a 5-of-9 effort, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
 
UNC Asheville was paced by Nadiria Evans with 17 points on a 6-of-12 effort from the floor, followed by Kai Carter with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
 
The series wraps up tomorrow afternoon, with tip-off set for 3:00 pm from Kimmel Arena with live coverage on ESPN+ (WatchESPN.com / ESPN App).