BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb women's basketball team (5-12, 2-1 Big South) scored its most dramatic win of the season on Saturday afternoon inside Paul Porter Arena, coming from down as many as 17 points to defeat USC Upstate, 64-61

The shots were falling quick and fast on Saturday afternoon, with USC Upstate racing to a 21-19 lead over Gardner-Webb after one quarter. GWU kept pace, while USC Upstate went nuclear from three-point range, hitting 5-of-7 from distance through one. Two threes from redshirt senior Jaelyn Acker played a big role in keeping the Dawgs in the game.

Outscoring GWU 21-9 in the second, USC Upstate opened a big lead it would hold for most of the rest of the game. The Spartans opened the second on an 8-1 run and despite being held scoreless by the Gardner-Webb defense for the final 2:26, USC Upstate took a 42-28 halftime lead.

By the 5:54 mark of the third quarter, USC Upstate opened up its largest lead, 47-30. It was at this moment where freshman forward Sara Menendez began bringing the Dawgs back. The Spaniard followed with two huge shots from long range in the space of a minute, and a soft layup with 3:38 to play to cap a personal 8-3 run. When freshman guard Makayla Legette beat the third quarter buzzer, GWU was already back within 10, down 54-44.

Gardner-Webb roared back in the fourth, outscoring USC Upstate 20-7 over the final 10 minutes. Menendez again was crucial for GWU, scoring five vital points in the middle of the frame. Junior guard Anaya Harris made perhaps some of the games biggest plays, with the Raleigh native scoring the go-ahead bucket with 41 seconds to play. After a Gardner-Webb timeout, Harris drove uncontested to the bucket to clinch the game. One final steal from junior guard Amina Gray on the final Upstate possession put the bow on a remarkable victory for Gardner-Webb

LEADERS
In 32 minutes, Gray finished with a team-high 17 points, while Legette and junior forward Amira Ofunniyn pitched in with 10 points and eight rebounds each. Menendez was the game's most impactful player, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in just 15 minutes, including 3-of-4 from long range

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
After starting the game 5-of-7 from three, Gardner-Webb held USC Upstate to just 4-of-16 from three over the final 30 minutes, the Runnin' Bulldogs meanwhile led for under a minute total in the contest, trailing from the 8:56 mark of the first until the game's final minute

UP NEXT
GWU hits the road on January 14th, visiting Radford for a 7 pm tip-off in the New River Valley