BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb trailed by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter and cut Mount St. Mary's' lead to five but could not complete the comeback. The Mountaineers left Paul Porter Arena with a 69-62 win over the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Three Runnin' Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Carley Plentovich's 21 points. Twin sister Savannah Plentovich added 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Neydja Petithomme contributed 10 points and dished out four assists.

The Mountaineers (4-3) were led by Juliette Laweless' 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Lawless was one of four Mountaineers in double figures, being joined by Michaela Harrison, Daly Sullivan and Taylor Addison. Addison recorded a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds, nine of which were offensive.

Gardner-Webb (4-3) jumped out to a 7-2 lead after S. Plentovich's layup, but the Mountaineers embarked on a 9-0 run to take the lead with just prior to the halfway mark of the opening quarter. The lead swapped teams four additional times in the opening quarter with Mount St. Mary's leading by four at the end of the first.

The Runnin' Bulldogs got as close a single-point before the half, but the Mountaineers would answer with a run of their own, capped off by a three-pointer at the buzzer, which gave the visitors a 35-27 halftime lead.

It was all Mount St. Mary's in the third quarter, as the Mountaineers took a 10-point lead, 42-32, then used a 9-0 run over 5:33 to take its largest lead of the contest, 51-32.

Down but not out, Gardner-Webb would outscore the visitors by five over the final 2:33 of the third to begin its comeback attempt.

With 7:45 left in the final quarter, the Mountaineers' Bridget Buckhead gave her team a 15-point lead with a three-pointer, but the Runnin' Bulldogs answered with an 11-1 run over just 3:45.

S. Plentovich, C. Plentovich and Morgan Pointer all drained shots from beyond the arc, and Petithomme contributed a layup to make it a 58-53 contest in favor of Mount St. Mary's with four minutes remaining.

Unfortunately for the Runnin' Bulldogs, they coulod not get closer than five, as the Mountaineers extended their lead to nine with 2:32 to play. The 'Dogs were unable to complete the comeback. Mount St. Mary's handed GWU its second consecutive defeat, 69-62.

The Runnin' Bulldogs shot 21-of-68 (30.9 percent), while Mount St. Mary's was nearly 15 percent better (23-of-53, 43.4 percent). The third quarter saw a substantial difference in shooting percentages with Gardner-Webb hitting only four of 20 field goals, while Mount St. Mary's shot a scorching 66.7 percent (8-of-12). Both teams shot 7-of-21 from beyond the arc.  The Mountaineers collected 49 rebounds, and Gardner-Webb managed just 34.

Gardner-Webb will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, December 8 at Furman. Tipoff between the Runnin' Bulldogs and Paladins is set for 2 p.m. from Greenville, S.C. The contest marks the start of three consecutive road games for the 'Dogs.