Dominique Hudson Joins 1,000 Point Club in 98-68 Loss to Appalachian State on Monday Night
November 23, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Boone, N.C. - Gardner-Webb senior point guard Dominique Hudson scored her 1,000 career point on Monday night, however it wasn't enough as the Appalachian State Mountaineers shot 51.3 percent, 39-of-76, from the floor for the game to hand the Runnin' Bulldogs its first loss of the season, a 98-68 loss in the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C.
The highlight of the night came midway through the second half, as Dominique Hudson made back-to-back free throws for points 999 and 1,000 to become only the 15th player in GWU women's basketball history to score over 1,000 career points.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took an early 9-4 lead on a layup from redshirt-senior center Sandra Vaitkute three minutes into the contest, however, the Mountaineers answered with four points of its own over the next three minutes to cut the Gardner-Webb lead to one at 9-8 with 14:42 to go in the first half.
GWU was able to hold on to a slight lead over the next three minutes until Appalachian State's Ashlen Dewart put in a driving layup to put the Mountaineers in front for the first time at 15-14 with 11:51 to play.
Appalachian State's Dewart had the hot hand in the first half, as she poured in 24 points, including four three-pointers from the top of the key en route to keeping the Mountaineers on top for the remainder of the opening half.
Despite shooting 40.7 percent from the floor in the first half, Gardner-Webb was clearly bothered by the absence of senior Monique Hudson, who went to the bench early with foul trouble, and the Appalachian State pressure, as the Runnin' Bulldogs had 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play.
Couple the turnovers with Appalachian State's hot shooting, 47.2 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the three-point line, allowed the Mountaineers to run out to its largest lead of the game at 41-29 heading into the halftime break.
Out of the halftime intermission, the Mountaineers used a quick 8-0 run to start the second half and push its lead out to 20 points at 49-29 with 17:32 to play in regulation.
Outside of two three-pointers from Monique Hudson and a made free throw from Vaitkute, the Runnin' Bulldogs struggled offensively while the Mountaineers continued to find open shots and easy put back baskets to shoot 50 percent overall and puts its lead to 27 at 63-36 with 11:43 on the clock.
Gardner-Webb continued to fight, however, the Mountaineers shooting did not cool off and kept the home team in front by 20 for the remainder of the half in the 98-68 win.
In the second half, the Runnin' Bulldogs were outscored 55-37, while the Mountaineers held the rebounding edge at 46-31 over Gardner-Webb for the game.
Dominique Hudson led GWU with 19 points, while Brianna Dillard posted a career-high 14 points in the loss. Junior Breynna Winkler poured in a career-high nine points and hauled in five rebounds off the bench for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
For Appalachian State, Dewart had a career-high 34 points, as she was 12-of-15 from the floor for the game, while senior guard Sam Ramirez had 20 points in the contest.
Gardner-Webb (2-1) will hit the road over the Thanksgiving break, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will play three games at the BTI Tip-Off Classic hosted by the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. The Runnin' Bulldogs will open up the three-day tournament on Friday, November 26, with a 4 p.m. central time start against Prairie View.
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| Box Score: Wofford 98, Gardner-Webb 68 |
