ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A Julien Soumaoro 3-pointer gave Gardner-Webb a lead at the 14:26 mark in the first half, and it never trailed again as the Runnin' Bulldogs raced to a 61-55 road win over UNC Asheville Thursday night inside Kimmel Arena.
 
Gardner-Webb (10-10, 4-3) stretched its lead to as many as 19 points with 15:13 remaining in the second half when Ludovic Dufeal slammed home a put-back jam for two of his six points on the night. While Asheville (11-9, 3-4) slowly chipped away, trimming its deficit down to a single possession with just 56 seconds to go, GWU connected on five of six free throws in the final minute to close the game on a 5-2 run and seal the six-point victory, its second in a row and eighth over the Bulldogs.
 
D'Maurian Williams led all scorers with a game-high 21 points boosted by a 5-of-8 performance from distance. The sophomore guard also grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists and only turned the ball over one time in 36 minutes of action. It was Williams' fifth time eclipsing 20 points this season.
 
Lance Terry posted 11 points, six rebounds and two steals, Kareem Reid added eight points, six rebounds and two blocks, and Anthony Selden tacked on seven points, four boards, two assists and two steals while making his first start of the 2021-22 campaign. Dufeal also snatched seven rebounds, a team-high. 
 
In all, eight different Runnin' Bulldogs found the scoring column for Gardner-Webb, who shot 37.3% from the field as a team (22 for 59), 41.2% from beyond the arc (7 for 17) and 83.3% from the charity stripe (10 for 12).
 
However, it was GWU's defense that stepped up big on the night, limiting Asheville to just 36.5% shooting overall (19 for 52) and 26.1% from downtown (6 for 23) while forcing the Bulldogs to commit 17 turnovers, its third-most in 20 games this season.
 
Gardner-Webb led for a total of 35:39 and only trailed for a total of 1:32 as the 'Dogs capped off a dominant performance for their third road win of the year.
 
Following Soumaoro's triple to put them ahead for good, Gardner-Webb soon surged to a 14-point lead on the heels of a 13-0 run that included scores from five different scorers. Comfortably ahead 25-11 following a jumper from Jordan Sears, the 'Dogs ultimately stretched the lead to as many as 15 before the break before taking a commanding 37-23 advantage into the locker room.
 
After going up by 19 in the opening minutes of the second half, GWU still maintained a lead of 12 with 3:36 to play, 54-42. That's when Asheville made its largest run of the game, outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs 11-2 in just under three minutes to force a three-point contest, 56-53. But a pair of clutch free throws from Terry put the 'Dogs back up by five with 31 seconds remaining, halting the Asheville run and closing out the road win.
 
With its three-game skid snapped with the victory on Tuesday, Gardner-Webb now looks ahead to a Saturday home showdown against Radford on just one full day of rest. Tipoff for the January 29 Big South clash is set for 4:30 p.m. inside Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs.