BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Gardner-Webb took advantage of Charleston Southern turnovers in the first half on their way to taking the key Big South women's basketball matchup on Saturday afternoon in Paul Porter Arena, 67-45.
 
CSU (3-17, 1-10 Big South) was plagued with 15 turnovers in the first half that resulted in 21 GWU (11-9, 6-5 Big South) points as the Runnin' Bulldogs held the 40-20 lead at the halftime break. The Runnin' Bulldogs hit 8-of-18 from the three-point line in the first half and utilized a 19-0 run in the first quarter in building the lead.
 
The Bucs cut the GWU lead down to 17 late in the third quarter following a three-point play from Tyra Wright. The Runnin' Bulldogs responded with a 13-0 run to take control of the game and push the margin to 30. CSU closed out the game on an 8-0 run with Kelsie Ruff and Tori Gittens both hitting late three-pointers to provide the final margin.
 
Gittens led CSU with 10 points off the bench, including a pair of three-pointers in the Bucs' loss. Tierra Steede added eight points and five rebounds, while Wright chipped in eight points and seven boards off the bench.
 
GWU's Ki'Aria Cain paced all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor with 10 points coming in the key first quarter stretch. Savannah Plentovich added 14 points, including a trio of three-pointers, while Jhessyka Williams added 11 points and four rebounds in the win.
 
First Quarter: Gardner-Webb 25, Charleston Southern 5
Carmella Walker put in a layup to open the scoring for the teams in the first quarter and gave CSU the early 2-0 lead. The Runnin' Bulldogs followed with a 19-0 run that lasted nearly seven minutes and was sparked by a Morgan Pointer three-pointer to take control of the game early. Ruff and Walker both converted free throws for the Bucs over the remainder of the quarter as CSU went into the quarter break trailing by 20.
 
Second Quarter: Gardner-Webb 40, Charleston Southern 20
Gardner-Webb's lead reached 24 at the 5:36 mark on a Williams three-point play as CSU trailed 34-10 midway through the second quarter. Gittens caught on fire with a four-point swing following her first three-pointer of the game, including a free throw. The GWU lead was back at 24 following a Savannah Plentovich three-pointer at the 1:46 mark, before Ruff and Steede both converted shots in the paint late to send the game into the half.
 
Third Quarter: Gardner-Webb 54, Charleston Southern 32
The third quarter went back-and-forth as the Bucs fought to keep the game within reach throughout the frame. CSU brought the game back to within 19 following a Maya Richards tip-in. CSU added a late six-point run by Wright to narrow the gap to within 49-32 with 2:07 remaining in the period. The Runnin' Bulldogs went back to the three-point line with Mikayla Dyson converting one late to end the quarter on a five-point swing.
 
Fourth Quarter: Gardner-Webb 67, Charleston Southern 45
GWU scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter in building their largest lead of the evening at 62-32 following a Dyson three-pointer at the 7:44 mark. CSU closed out the game on an 8-0 run with Ruff and Gittens converting three-pointers, while Wright made a layup to provide the final margin.
 
Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern was 15-of-45 (33.3%) from the floor, 4-of-14 (28.6%) from behind the three-point line, and 11-of-15 (73.3%) from the free throw line in the loss.
• Gardner-Webb was 22-of-68 (32.4%) from the floor, 12-of-35 (34.3%) from the three-point line, and 11-of-14 (78.6%) from the free throw line in the win.
• CSU held the 22-16 edge in points in the paint.
• Gardner-Webb led the points off turnover battle with the 37-9 edge in the category.
• GWU also held the 35-20 advantage in bench scoring and 17-2 edge in fast-break points.
• CSU held the 11-9 edge in second-chance points
• Gardner-Webb held the 40-39 rebounding advantage in the game.
• GWU forced 27 CSU turnovers in the game.

News & Notes

• Gittens' 10-point game was her fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season and first since January 9 against Longwood when the freshman scored a season-high 12 points against the Lancers.
• Tyra Wright's seven rebounds were a career-high for the freshman forward, eclipsing the six boards she recorded back on December 7 against Virginia Lynchburg.
• Gardner-Webb sweeps the season series against the Buccaneers after topping CSU 79-52 back in the Buccaneer Field House on New Year's Eve.

Up Next
CSU remains on the road next week as the Buccaneers make the Tuesday trek to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C. on February 4. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Winthrop Eagles is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.