SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate took its first lead of the game with 75 seconds remaining, and the Spartans held off Gardner-Webb in the final minute to claim a 72-70 win Saturday afternoon inside G.B. Hodge Center.  
 
D'Maurian Williams hit a 3-pointer 21 seconds in, and Gardner-Webb (17-12, 11-5) spent the next 38:24 without ever trailing before a three-point play from Upstate's Josh Aldrich put the Spartans ahead for the first time with 1:15 to play in the contest, 67-66.
 
After a pair of free throws helped Upstate (13-15, 10-6) extend its lead to three, Williams hit a mid-range jumper from the elbow with 10.0 remaining to close to within one. The teams exchanged free throws over the next four seconds, but Upstate opened the door late with a miss from the line as the Runnin' Bulldogs gained possession with five seconds remaining trailing by two, 72-70. Forced to move the length of the court with time winding down, GWU was able to get a look at the win with straightaway 3-pointer at the buzzer from Williams, but the shot was off the mark allowing the Spartans to escape with the victory in each team's regular season finale.
 
Williams finished with a game-high 24 points for Gardner-Webb thanks to an impressive shooting performance that saw him miss only three shots on 11 total attempts. The sophomore guard connected on 5-of-7 triples, including his first four tries in the first half, boosting him to his seventh scoring performance of 20 or more points this season.
 
Lance Terry added 17 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists, Jordan Sears scored eight points off the bench, and Ludovic Dufeal grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Runnin' Bulldogs, who finished the game shooting 40.0-percent from the field and 38.5-percent from 3-point range after a hot-shooting first half that saw them sink nine triples in the opening frame.
 
GWU led by as many as 11 and had eight different players find the scoring column in the first 20 minutes en route to taking a five-point advantage into the locker room, 41-36. The Spartans adjusted for the second half, however, holding the 'Dogs to only one 3-pointer in the final stanza while ultimately outscoring GWU 36-29 to claim the two-point win.
 
The Spartans, who shot 39.0-percent for the game overall and 28.7-percent from distance, used 21 made free throws to only 12 from Gardner-Webb to close the gap despite a 10-5 advantage for the 'Dogs on 3-pointers. Four Upstate players finished in double figures led by 20 points from Jordan Gainey and 16 from Bryson Mozone.
 
Saturday's loss in the regular season finale drops GWU to 17-12 overall and 11-5 in Big South competition as the Runnin' Bulldogs finish the regular season slate tied for a program-high with 11 Big South wins for a fourth time in 14 years since joining the conference in 2008-09.
 
Despite the loss, however, GWU maintains its slot as the No. 3 seed for the upcoming 2022 Herculues Tires Big South Conference Championship, which was solidified this past Thursday night with a Winthrop win over Upstate in Rock Hill. By officially claiming the No. 3 seed, Gardner-Webb earns a first-round bye in next week's tournament, meaning that the journey towards a conference crown will not begin until Friday night, March 4 at 8 p.m. against an opponent still to be determined.
 
All 2022 Hercules Tires Big South Conference Championship games are set to be played inside Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. with tickets available for purchase through Gardner-Webb Athletics here.