BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb women's basketball team is back in action on Wednesday night, hosting UNC Wilimgton in its second consecutive home game, and second of five home games over the next month

GAME INFORMATION
Game 6: UNC Wilmington (1-2) at Gardner-Webb (1-4)
Location: Paul Porter Arena - Boiling Springs, N.C.
Stream: ESPN Plus
Talent: CJ Carpenter and Bryson Byrnes
Tip-Off: 7:00 pm
Series History: UNCW leads 5-1
Previous Meeting: 1984

FIRST MEETING IN 41 YEARS: On Wednesday evening, the Runnin' Bulldogs welcome UNC Wilimington to Paul Porter Arena. Despite sharing the state of North Carolina and being just four hours apart, the two schools haven't met in women's hoops since 1984, a time when Gardner-Webb was a member of the NAIA and the Seahawks were in their debut season in the ECAC-South (now the CAA)

A BRAND NEW ERA: With a 55-35 win over Hampton on November 16th, head coach Terri Williams delivered her first win with the program. Williams has a a career that spans nearly 300 wins as an NCAA Division I head coach, including previous stops at Georgetown and Auburn and multiple trips to the NCAA Tournament prior to Gardner-Webb

PRESS TO RUN: Gardner-Webb has been able to ride its defense through the first five games, and nowhere has that been more clear than the Runnin' Bulldogs 55-35 win over Hampton. After holding Virginia Tech to just 37% from the deck on November 13th, GWU held Hampton to an eye-watering 21.2% (11-of-52) from the field and 14.8% (4-of-27) from three. GWU comes into Wednesday night allowing only 66.4 points per game

BACK IN ELITE FORM: Arriving from Furman this offseason, redshirt senior guard Jaelyn Acker has been revitalized this season. The Richfield, Wisconsin native scored 11.5 points per game as a freshman at Furman and was a Southern Conference All-Freshman team selection in 2022-23. So far at Gardner-Webb, Acker has found her form at 9.4 points per game on a team-best 46.4% from three point range, 13-of-28 entering Wednesday night

WELCOME HOME: After a couple seasons off the bench at Maryland Eastern Shore, junior forward Amira Ofunniyin has returned to her home state of North Carolina to anchor the post for Gardner-Webb so far this season. The Raleigh, NC native is averaging a career-best in minutes (25.4), points per game (8.8) and rebounds per game (8.4), and even collected her first college double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds on Sunday against Hampton, clinching it with a late bucket

SENIOR LEADER: Senior guard Nyla Walker is the most significant returning player for Gardner-Webb from a season ago in nearly every statistical category. The Frankfort, Illinois native has delivered as well, scoring 11.5 points per game across 28.6 minutes, all of the bench, including a career-high 23 at West Georgia on November 8th

ON THE SCENE: The breakout star for Gardner-Webb against Hampton was junior guard Amina Gray, who exploded late to help Gardner-Webb put the game away. Gray scored 18 points, her most in a game for nearly two years, shot 6-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three, and had 14 of her team-high 18 in the fourth quarter

SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS: UNCW started slow in its home opener and fell 80-56 to Coastal Carolina back on November 12th. The Seahawks shot 20-for-60 (33%) from the field and only 
4-for-22 (18.2%) from three-point distance, while Coastal Carolina went 29-for-74 (39.2%) from the field and shot 10-for-25 (40%) from beyond the arc. Coastal Carolina out-rebounded UNCW 50-40, including  a 20-3 edge in offensive rebounds