CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Gardner-Webb's Alasia Smith was named the Big South Freshman of the Year, while sophomore Lauren Bevis was named All-Big South Second Team and junior Jhessyka Williams was named All-Big South Honorable mention.  Senior Nia Lee was named to the All-Academic Team.
 
Smith (Johnson City, Tenn. / Science Hill HS) was the league's top scoring freshman with 11.4 points per game, and third overall in the conference with 8.3 rebounds.  She was second in steals (2.6), sixth in field goal shooting (45.9) and leads the Big South with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game.  Smith had three double-doubles and two games with 20+ points.  In Big South action, she appeared in 17 games against league foes and averaged 11.7 points, 8.1 boards, 47.4 percent from the floor, 2.8 steals, and a conference-best 3.9 offensive caroms.
 
Smith was named Big South Freshman of the Week five times throughout the 2020-21 regular season and is the first Runnin' Bulldog to receive the league's top freshman honor.
 
Bevis (High Point, N.C. / Homeschool) led Gardner-Webb in scoring throughout the season with a career-best 12.7 points per game, as well as 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.4 rebounds per game.  In Big South play. She averaged 13.6 points per game and in the previous six games as a starter, Bevis has averaged 16.7 points per game.
 
A sharpshooter from long range, Bevis made 55 baskets from beyond the arc throughout the regular season with a 36.4 percent three-point field goal percentage.
 
Williams (Augusta, Ga. / Laney HS) averaged a career-best 12.2 points per game and led the Big South in steals with 2.9 thefts per contest.  Williams also pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game and dished out an average of 2.4 assists per game.
 
Williams was 40.8 percent from the floor for the year and was red-hot offensively down the final stretch of the regular season, averaging 20.0 points in GWU's last four contests.
 
Lee (Lawrenceville, Ga. / Collins Hill HS), a Healthcare Management major with a 3.48 cumulative GPA saw action n 19 contests throughout the regular season and was an efficient 36.4 percent from the floor.
 
Gardner-Webb, the league's No. 4 seed, hosts No. 5 Presbyterian Monday in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Hercules Tires Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship.  Tip-off is slated for 7:00 pm inside Paul Porter Arena with live coverage on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com / ESPN App).