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BOILING SPRINGS, NC--Dequesha McClanahan's late game heroics gave Winthrop a 60-55 Big South Conference victory at Gardner-Webb on Saturday afternoon in Paul Porter Arena.

After watching her team lose a 10-point second half lead, McClanahan scored six points, made two key steals, made an assist on a key basket, and connected on the game-clinching free throws with 7.6 seconds left to play.  She finished the game with 23 points, seven assists and four steals to lead the Eagles to their second straight victory.

With the win, Winthrop improves to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in the Big South while Gardner-Webb falls to 7-10 and remains winless in league play at 0-6.  The win also came in Winthrop's fourth road game in the last eight days.

Winthrop led 30-21 at halftime and built the lead to as many as 10 in the second half at 38-28 on a layup by Schaquilla Nunn with 13:56 left in the game.  But Gardner-Webb made a furious comeback behind the inside play of Catrina Green and went on a 15-2 run to take its first lead of the game at 42-40 on a lay-up by Jasmine Dale with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Green scored eight of her team-high 21 points during that stretch.Two of her baskets came after she grabbed two of her game-high 16 rebounds.

Following a jumper by GWU's Jessica Helig, the Bulldogs took their largest lead of the game at 45-42 with 8:36 left.  McClanahan answered with back-to-back lay-ups to give Winthrop the lead again at 46-45 with 6:48 on the clock, but a short jumper by Olivia Parker and another follow shot off a rebound by Green, GWU reclaimed a 49-46 lead at the 5:13 mark prompting a timeout by Winthrop.

McClanahan responded with a short jumper to trim the deficit to a single point and then senior Diana Choibekova, who had missed seven of her first eight 3-point shots, drained back-to-back threes to put Winthrop ahead 54-51 with 2:34 left in the game.  Parker converted two free throws with 1:33 remaining to make it a 54-53 game, but that would be as close as the Bulldogs could get. 

McClanahan made a steal and led Aliyah Kilpatrick for a layup with 48 seconds on the clock giving Winthrop some breathing room at 56-53.  She then came up with another steal with 18 seconds left and was immediately fouled.  She made both ends of the bonus to give Winthrop a five-point lead. 

Following another rebound basket by GWU's Parker, McClanahan was fouled on the inbounds pass and calmly sank two more free throws to put that game out of reach.

It appeared at the game's outset that Winthrop would put this one away early as the Eagles jumped out to a a quick 10-2 lead in the opening three minutes.  Nunn, who had missed the last two games due to a groin injury, had four of her team's first 10 points.  The Eagles led 14-4 with 13:20 on a McClanahan lay-up, but Gardner-Webb rallied to outscore Winthrop 10-2 to make it a 16-14 game on a Green putback with 7:37 left in the first period.

Winthrop led by as many as 11 in the first half when Tiffany Charles made a steal and layup with 1:28 left to put the Eagles up 28-17.  Winthrop took a 30-21 halftime lead on another lay-up by McClanahan in the closing seconds.

Nunn finished the game with 12 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.  It was her seventh double-double performance of the season.  Choibekova scored 11 for the Eagles.

Winthrop shot 37.7 percent from the floor (26-69) compared to GWU's 35.6 percent (21-59).  The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 49-43.

The Eagles will return home on Thursday, Jan. 17, to face Charleston Southern at 7 p.m.