BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs cut a 12-point halftime deficit to one in the third quarter but were unable to win their fourth straight game, falling to the Furman Paladins on Saturday afternoon, 72-67.

Gardner-Webb (3-2) shot just 30 percent from the floor in the opening half and allowed Furman to grab 28 rebounds while collecting just 19 of their own. The 'Dogs trailed, 37-25 at the half, but the tide changed when the third quarter began.

A trio of players – Carley Plentovich, Savannah Plentovich and Ki'Ari Cain – sparked a 13-2 Gardner-Webb run over the first 2:44 of the third quarter to force a Paladins timeout.

C. Plentovich connected on two triples, while S. Plentovich hit one and Cain made a layup on the fast break. S. Plentovich's three-pointer with 7:16 to go in the period made it a 39-38 contest in favor of the Paladins and forced Furman head coach Jackie Carson Smith to burn a timeout.

Furman (4-3) embarked on a 7-0 run following the timeou,t but a 5-0 Gardner-Webb run thanks to Alexis Hueston and C. Plentovich pulled Gardner-Webb within a bucket, 46-44, with 4:27 remaining in the quarter. The 'Dogs would trail by just one with under three minutes remaining in the third, but at the end of the quarter, Furman led by three, 51-48.

The Paladins led by as many as eight in the fourth quarter when Taylor Petty made a pair of free throws with 3:06 remaining, but a Lauren Bevis layup followed by an S. Plentovich layup made it a one possession game with 2:35 to go.

Gardner-Webb pulled within one when Gabrielle Caponegro collected Bevis' miss and scored with 1:14 to go, but a Sutton West layup pushed the Paladins' lead back to three, 65-62 with 46 seconds remaining.

Furman made 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute and held an eight-point lead before C. Plentovich banked in a three-pointer with three seconds left to make the final score 72-67 in favor of the Paladins.

Gardner-Webb struggled from the floor, hitting just 25-of-67 attempts (37.3 percent). The 'Dogs connected on only 11 of their 29 shots from beyond the arc and shot a season-low 50 percent at the free throw line.

Furman made 46.3 percent of its attempts (25-of-54) but struggled mightily from downtown, making just 4-of-19 three-point field goals. The Paladins made six more free throws than Gardner-Webb attempted and outrebounded the 'Dogs, 47-36.

Furman's Tierra Hodges and Gardner-Webb's C. Plentovich each scored 18 points. Hodges had a double-double thanks to 14 rebounds and also dished out seven assists. S. Plentovich (16 points) and Hueston (10 points) also reached double figures.

The Runnin' Bulldogs will play only once next week, traveling to Virginia Tech on Sunday, December 8 for a 2 p.m. contest.