Gardner-Webb University
Queens
November 13, 2026 | Women's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb women's basketball team continues its season-opening homestand on Saturday afternoon, hosting Queens inside Paul Porter Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. as the Runnin' Bulldogs look to bounce back from a hard-fought overtime setback against UNC Greensboro.
Gardner-Webb enters Saturday's contest with a 1-1 record after opening the season with an 84-72 road victory at Catawba before falling 59-54 in overtime to UNC Greensboro in its home opener on Wednesday night.
The visiting Queens Royals come into Boiling Springs with a 1-2 record. After opening the season with road losses at Alabama and Vanderbilt, the Royals responded with an 86-40 victory over Carolina University on Nov. 9.
The Runnin' Bulldogs nearly completed one of the biggest comebacks of the young season Wednesday evening. Trailing by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, Gardner-Webb rallied to erase the deficit and force overtime against UNCG before ultimately falling 59-54.
Laila Tull paced the Bulldogs with 15 points and connected on three three-pointers, while Amira Ofunniyin and Jordan Brooks each added nine points. Kayla Martin contributed seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Despite the loss, Gardner-Webb forced 21 turnovers and outscored the Spartans 34-22 in the second half and overtime combined after trailing by 12 at halftime.
Through its first two games, Gardner-Webb is averaging 69Â points per contest while forcing 21 turnovers per game. Tull leads the Bulldogs with 12.0 points per game and has connected on five three-pointers, shooting 55.6 percent from beyond the arc. Ofunniyin is averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 69.2 percent from the field. Brooks is averaging 8.5 points and leads the team with eight assists.
Queens has averaged 61.3 points per game through its first three contests while facing a challenging early-season schedule that included road trips to SEC opponents Alabama and Vanderbilt. The Royals bounced back from those defeats with an 86-point performance against Carolina University, nearly matching their offensive output from the first two games combined.
The Royals are led offensively by Makayla Minshall and Ashantay Noble, who are each averaging 10.3 points per game. Noble also leads Queens with 5.7 rebounds per contest. Ahmani Klabunde is averaging 8.7 points per game and leads the team with six three-pointers. Queens is averaging 40.7 rebounds per game and shooting 34.9 percent from three-point range.
Queens features several new contributors this season, including Noble and Minshall. The Royals also return Brenae Jones-Grant, a preseason All-ASUN selection who averaged 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season.
The two programs will meet for the 12th time in series history on Saturday, with Queens holding a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series. The Royals have won each of the last three meetings, including a 58-47 victory in Charlotte last season. Gardner-Webb's last win in the series came in November 1994, when the Runnin' Bulldogs earned a 97-93 victory in Boiling Springs. The teams also played a memorable triple-overtime contest in December 2024, with Queens escaping with a 99-97 win.
Saturday presents an opportunity for Gardner-Webb to finish its opening three-game stretch with a winning record before another challenging week awaits. Gardner-Webb will look to capitalize on home-court advantage Saturday as the Runnin' Bulldogs welcome the Royals to Paul Porter Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
