BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb had three players reach double figures in scoring, yet a hot shooting performance by the visiting Liberty Flames doomed the Runnin' Bulldogs, as they fall by a 85-60 score on Saturday afternoon.
 
Gardner-Webb (12-4, 2-2 Big South) shot just 33.3 percent from the game, going 18-of-54 from the floor, while Liberty (9-7, 4-0 Big South) made 52.5 percent (32-of-61) of their attempts on the day, including nine made three-point baskets.
 
Savannah Plentovich had 15 points to lead the Runnin' Bulldogs, going 4-of-13 from the floor, as well as a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.  Tierra Huntsman and Celia Tibbs each had 10 points on the afternoon.
 
The Flames had four scorers with 10 or more points, led by Ola Makurat, who had 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-4 from long range.
 
Liberty seized control of the contest in the first period, outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs by an 11-2 margin over the final 3:53 to build a 17-point lead at 27-10.  GWU was ice cold during the opening frame, making just one of twelve attempts from the floor.
 
The Flames would expand their advantage in the second period to 29 points at halftime at 51-22. 
 
Liberty would expand its lead to 33 points after a layup by Kierra Johnson-Graham with 8:56 left in the third period, but the Runnin' Bulldogs would begin to fight back, outscoring Liberty by a 17-8 margin over the next seven minutes to pull within 24 points at 63-39 with 2:03 on the clock after a layup by Plentovich.  A late layup by Johnson-Graham would set the score at 41-67 as play headed into the final period.
 
Gardner-Webb would be unable to put together a run in the fourth quarter, as scoring between the two teams was back-and-forth over the final ten minutes.  The Flames shot 47.1 percent for the frame, while GWU only made 25.0 percent of their attempts, but the Runnin' Bulldogs made 11 free throws in the period, while Liberty did not attempt a single shot from the charity stripe in the fourth.  Ky'Asia Stanford would score on a fast break layup in the final seconds to set the score at 85-60.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs hit the road for their next matchup, taking on Presbyterian on Tuesday, January 16 at 7:00 pm.   The game can be viewed live on the Big South Network (www.bigsouthsports.com).