BOILING SPRINGS – Jhessyka Williams recorded a triple-double and Gardner-Webb remained unbeaten in the Big South with a 90-86 win over Presbyterian.

Williams scored 28 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished off a career-high 11 assists in the win. She nearly accomplished the feat in the first half, dishing off eight assists to go with 12 points and seven rebounds in the first 30 minutes.

It marked the first recorded triple-double in Gardner-Webb women's basketball history and was the first in a Big South Conference game since Longwood's Akila Smith went for 14 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocks on January 15, 2021 against Winthrop.

Gardner-Webb (13-4, 5-0 Big South) also remained unbeaten inside Paul Porter Arena with the victory and held onto first place in the league.

Williams was 10-of-19 from the floor, made 8-of-11 free throws and grabbed nine of her rebounds on the offensive glass – with her second-half scoring surge pushing Gardner-Webb in front by as many as 17 with 3:20 remaining in the game.o

Presbyterian (7-9, 3-2 Big South) made some open threes late in the game to get as close as four points, but would not get the margin back to one possession.

Gardner-Webb led 41-36 at halftime after a late layup by Alasia Smith – part of a 12-2 run by the home team to close the second quarter.

The Runnin' Bulldogs put the pedal down in the third quarter, opening play with an 11-4 run to lead 53-40 with 7:08 on the clock. That lead would grow to 60-45 on another Smith layup with 5:15 left in the third – but the Blue Hose rallied with an 8-0 run to get closer by the start of the fourth.

Gardner-Webb led 75-64 after a Blue Hose three-pointer with 4:28 left in the game before Smith and Williams powered a quick 6-0 burst to give the 'Dogs their largest lead of the night – 83-66 with 3:20 to play in the game.

Presbyterian went inside to post player Bryanna Brady and made a trio of open three-pointers over the next 2:18 to forge a 16-4 surge that proved too little and too late.

Williams made a pair of free throws with 14.3 seconds left to give GWU a 90-84 lead and the Runnin' Bulldogs were able to close out the game.

Gardner-Webb went deeper into its bench than usual Wednesday, playing 10 players in the win.

Smith also flirted with a triple-double on Wednesday, scoring 20 points to go with nine rebounds and eight steals in 37 minutes.

Layken Cox added 14 points and six rebounds in just 18 minutes and Lauren Bevis had 15 points for the Runnin' Bulldogs. Ki'Ari Cain had six points and five dimes from her point guard spot on Wednesday as well.

Gardner-Webb shot 45.8 percent for the game and made 17-of-24 from throws. The Runnin' Bulldogs averaged 1.27 points per possession, made 20 layups and turned 20 Presbyterian turnovers into 22 points. 

The offensive glass was also pivotal for the Runnin' Bulldogs, with 23 rebounds on that end turning into 20 second-chance points. GWU shot a crisp 53.3 percent in the fourth quarter.

Brady was effective in the post despite some foul trouble for the Blue Hose, scoring 29 points to go with eight rebounds. She was 14-of-18 from the floor. Aubri Kierscht came off the bench to score 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range, but no other Presbyterian player reached double digits.

A sharp shooting effort overall by the Blue Hose helped keep the game tight at times. The visitors shot 59.7 percent for the game (37-of-62) and made 10-of-23 shots from deep (43.5 percent). That included a sizzling 61.8 percent shooting in the second half (21-of-34) overall.

Gardner-Webb will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, traveling to face UNC Asheville at 2:00 pm (ESPN+).