BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Winthrop women's basketball falls to Gardner-Webb 71-59 on the road Monday night. The Eagles are now 5-7 overall and 1-2 in the Big South. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Shots were not falling for either team in the first eight minutes of play but with 2:36 remaining, things began to heat up. Winthrop took an 11-9 lead with 29 seconds to go before Gardner-Webb's Lauren Bevis drained her second 3-pointer to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a one-point edge after 10 minutes of play.  Gardner-Webb opened the second quarter with a quick 3-pointer. With 6:29 remaining in the half, Jamison-Whitfield hit a shot from behind the arc to give Winthrop a one point lead. She followed that up with a layup to put the Eagles up by three. Carley Plentovich and Sydney Buckley exchanged 3-pointers before the Runnin' Bulldogs went on an 11-2 run to close out the half and take a 34-28 lead until the locker room at halftime. A minute and a half into the 3^rd quarter, Anika Riley grabbed a defensive rebound to record the 500^th rebound of her collegiate career. She is the 18^th player in Winthrop women's basketball history to reach that milestone. The Eagles never regained the lead, despite outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs in the final 10 minutes of play. Winthrop finished the night 44 percent from the field, 57 percent from 3-point range and 65 percent from the line.

KEY PLAYERS
Destinee Jamison-Whitfield (23 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, 1 block)
Anika Riley (10 points, six rebounds, two steals)

NOTABLES

• Anika Riley became the 18^th player in Winthrop women's basketball history to record 500 career rebounds.
• Destinee Jamison-Whitfield recorded 23 points, a new career high.
• Winthrop had a season-low 29 rebounds and were outrebounded by 12 boards.
• 23 of Winthrop's 33 bench points came at the hands of Destinee Jamison-Whitfield.
• The Eagles attempted seven 3-pointers, connecting on four. The Runnin' Bulldogs took 27 shots from behind the arc, making 11 of them.
• Winthrop had 23 turnovers, resulting in 19 points for Gardner-Webb. The Runnin' Bulldogs turned the ball over 22 times, resulting in 17 points for the Eagles.

UP NEXT
The Eagles will travel to Spartanburg on Thursday to take on USC Upstate. These teams met for the first time as conference opponents during the 2018-19 season where Upstate was victorious both meetings. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.