HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) — Monique Hudson scored 23 points and this time Gardner-Webb made the big plays down the stretch in a 67-66 victory over Liberty on Sunday to end the Flames’ Big South dominance and give the Runnin’ Bulldogs their first NCAA tournament berth.
After mssing potential tying and winning shots at the buzzer in the previous two title games against Liberty, Gardner-Webb (23-10) built an 11-point lead then hung on in a frantic finish to hand Liberty its first loss in 14 conference title games.
Dominique Hudson added 16 points and six assists for third-seeded Gardner-Webb in a sweet victory for coach Rick Reeves, who guided Liberty to its first three Big South titles.
Jelena Antic scored 19 points and Avery Warley added 13 points and 16 rebounds for the top-seeded Flames (22-10), who had won 13 of the past 14 Big South championships and were 38-0 when playing as the higher seed.
