BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb women's basketball team (8-16, 5-5 Big South) scored a key victory in the Big South race on Saturday afternoon, defeating Winthrop (11-14, 4-7 Big South) by a 72-69 final

The Runnin' Bulldogs used one of its best shooting performances of the season early on, then held on down the stretch to secure one of its most important wins of the season. Gardner-Webb scored 14 points in the first quarter, then 24 in the second to build a 38-24 halftime lead. Winthrop eventually, and slowly, crawled back in the game, down just three with a chance to tie in the final seconds. One last shot bounced off the iron, securing a Gardner-Webb win

GWU was paced largely by junior guard Amina Gray who shot her way to a career game. Gray poured in 27 points, hit 8-of-14 overall from the field, rained in 7-of-10 three pointers, with three rebounds, two steals and a block for good measure. Gray was at her best in the second quarter, where the Dawgs hit 9-of-14 from the field and 6-of-8 from distance

Redshirt senior guard Jaelyn Acker also had a strong bounce-back game. Coming off a game at UNC Asheville lst Friday where Acker came up a couple of big shots, the Furman transfer scored 13 points, and hit 4-of-9 from three, punctuated by a big first half where her and Gray combined to score 29

Other Runnin' Bulldogs to post strong games include senior guard Nyla Walker who scored 11 points and dished our six assists, and junior forward Amira Ofunniyin who finished with six points and nine rebounds

As a team, Gardner-Webb posted several notable stats. Most obvious, the Runnin' Bulldogs finished a ridiculous 13-of-25 from three point range, with 13 of the Dawgs 21 field goals counting for three, GWU also kept up its defensive pressure by forcing Winthrop into 20 turnovers, eight of which went for steals. Notable as well, the Runnin' Bulldogs finished the game an excellent 17-of-22 at the foul line, over half of which game in the fourth quarter with a 9-of-12 mark

At 5-5 in the Big South, Gardner-Webb has now built a full game lead over 4-7 Winthrop and UNC Asheville and sits in fifth place. The Runnin' Bulldogs remain just a half game back of 6-5 Charleston Southern in the race for a potential top-four finish in the Big South Conference standings

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Gardner-Webb is back in action inside Paul Porter Arena on February 11th, taking on Charleston Southern