Nine Runnin' Bulldogs Score in 69-41 Home Loss to Appalachian State on Saturday Afternoon
November 19, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Nine different Runnin' Bulldogs scored in the contest, as Gardner-Webb fell to Appalachian State 69-41 on Saturday afternoon in Paul Porter Arena.
The loss drops Gardner-Webb to 0-3 on the year and 0-2 at home, while Appalachian State improves to 1-1 on the season.
In the first half, the Runnin' Bulldogs could not buy a bucket, as the home team was ice cold from the floor, shooting 29.6 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the three-point line in the first 20 minutes of play.
Gardner-Webb took an early 1-0 lead on a made free throw by freshman Jessica Heilig a minute into the contest, only to have Appalachian State's Anna Freeman hit a jump shot in the paint for the Mountaineers on the very next possession to put the visitors in front at 2-1.
The basket jump-started the Mountaineer offense, which ran off seven more unanswered points to take a 9-1 lead into the first media timeout at 15:59.
The Runnin' Bulldogs scored five straight out of the timeout to cut the Appalachian State lead to three at 9-6 with 13:23 to go in the first half.
Over the next nine minutes of play, Appalachian State outscored the Runnin' Bulldogs 18-4 to push their lead to as high as 14 at 27-13 with 4:24 remaining before the halftime break.
Back-to-back baskets from Breynna Winkler and Anna Dill in the final 1:22 of the opening half, put the Runnin' Bulldogs down just 10 at 30-20 heading into the halftime intermission.
After back-to-back free throws by Dill cut the Appalachian State lead to eight to start the second half, the Mountaineers responded with an 8-0 run, capped off by a fast break lay up by Kelsey Sharkey, to take their largest lead of the game at 38-22.
A 6-0 run highlighted by back-to-back steals and lay ups from freshman guard KiKi Smith cut the lead back to 10 at 38-28, however, Appalachian State and Anna Freeman again had an answer, knocking down a three-pointer to stop the run and put the visitors in front by 13 at 41-28 with 14:40 to go in regulation.
Gardner-Webb cut the lead to nine on two more occasions in the second half, however, the Mountaineers took advantage of six GWU turnovers over a four-minute period to extend their lead to as high as 28 in the 69-41 win.
Sophomores Catrina Green and Jasmine Dale each had a team-high seven points, while Green hauled down 11 rebounds in 28 minutes of play. Freshman Eliana Scanlon had six points, while Heilig added five points on 2-of-4 shooting for the contest.
Appalachian State's Anna Freeman had a game-high 28 points and 14 rebounds on 10-of-20 shooting, while guard Katie Mallow poured in 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench for the Mountaineers.
The loss is Gardner-Webb's second straight to the Mountaineers, while the Runnin' Bulldogs start the season at 0-3 for the first time since 2005-06.
Gardner-Webb (0-3) will take on another Southern Conference foe on Monday night, November 21st, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will hit the road to do battle with the Davidson Wildcats at 6 p.m. in Davidson, N.C.
Appalachian State (1-1) will return home to host East Tennessee State at 6 p.m. on Monday night in the Mountaineers home opener.
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| Box Score: Appalachian State 69, Gardner-Webb 41 |
