BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb University women's basketball team (10-14, 7-5 Big South) was on the road for a second straight game on Saturday afternoon, but fell to USC Upstate (8-18, 5-8 Big South) by a final score of 69-58

The Runnin' Bulldogs were pushed on to an early double digit lead, headlined by a strong second quarter, but it would be a tough shooting third and fourth quarter that allowed the Spartans to get back in the game and eventually pull away to win by nine.

In a big second, the 'Dawgs would lead by as many as 13 points overall and outscore USC Upstate 23-17. Gardner-Webb was led by junior guard Nyla Walker and freshman guard Kendall Scott, who each scored in double figures for the game. With 6:08 until halftime, Walker hit one of the biggest shots of the game for Gardner-Webb, knocking down a three to give GWU a 33-20 lead. Scott came up big a few minutes later with a crafty jumper, at the moment pushing Gardner-Webb to a 38-27 lead. The Spartans closed however, and Gardner-Webb went into halftime ahead 40-35.

The Runnin' Bulldogs continued to lead deep into the third quarter, again led by Walker. The Frankfort, Ill. native finished the game with 13 points and five made field goals, including one with 6:20 to go in the third that saw GWU to a 47-39 lead. Walker's jumper was the final field goal for Gardner-Webb for over eight minutes of game time.

Despite Upstate taking the lead late in the third and early in the fourth, the Runnin' Bulldogs continued to battle in a close game. Sophomore forward Andrea Martinez knocked down a big jumper with 7:46 remaining to break the 'Dawgs scoring drought, part of an 11 point scoring performance on 4-of-6 from the deck.

The Spartans closed the game on an 18-7 run and eventually pulled away over the final seven minutes of play. In all, the Runnin' Bulldogs had four double-figure scorers including Walker with 13, Martinez with 11, Scott with 15 and graduate forward Elze Motekaityte with 10 points.

The Runnin' Bulldogs return to action on Wednesday night, February 19th to host Longwood. Tip-off inside Paul Porter Arena is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are on sale now at gwusports.com