CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Savannah Plentovich tied her career-high of 23 points, but the Runnin' Bulldogs shot just 24.2 percent from the floor as they dropped a 74-49 decision to the Charlotte 49ers in the season opener.

Gardner-Webb (0-1) never led in the contest but managed to keep things close in the first quarter before the 49ers opened up a double-digit lead at the end of the quarter.

After Gardner-Webb trimmed Charlotte's lead to seven in the second quarter, 22-15, following an old-fashioned three-point play by Alexis Hueston, with 8:12 left until the half, the 49ers opened up a 15-point advantage. 

The Runnin' Bulldogs nearly cut the home team' lead to single digits before the half by virtue of a 15-8 run capped off by back-to-back three-pointers by Savannah and Carley Plentovich. The triples by the Plentovich twins made it a 38-30 contest, but Charlotte beat the buzzer to take a 10-point lead into the intermission.  

Gardner-Webb was limited to just three points in the third quarter, and Charlotte extended its lead to 20 points with 3:34 remaining in the period. After trailing by 17 following the third quarter, the 'Dogs got no closer than 16 points in the fourth.

Charlotte (1-0) took its largest lead of the game with 4:48 to play when Christian Hithe's fast break layup put the 49ers up 24, 66-42. From that point, Gardner-Webb never got the lead under 20 as Charlotte earned the 74-49 victory to start the season.

For Gardner-Webb, S. Plentovich began her senior campaign with by knocking down five triples and shooting 8-of-15 from the field. She led the team with five rebounds as well.

In addition to S. Plentovich, Hueston contributed 10 points, all in the first half, and was the only other Runnin' Bulldog to hit double figures. Hueston finished the night 3-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 at the charity stripe.

Charlotte placed four in double figures with Jade Harris and Jazmin Phillips each contributing 15 points. Octavia Jett-Wilson added 14 while Christian Hite added 13.

Gardner-Webb had a cold-shooting night, making just 15-of-62 attempts and only 6-of-18 shots from beyond the arc. The 'Dogs missed just four free throws, hitting 76.5 percent (13-of-17) of their attempts.

The 49ers more than doubled the 'Dogs' shooting percentage, making 29-of-59 (49.2 percent) shots. Charlotte made five three-pointers and went 6-of-11 from free throw line.

The biggest difference came in the paint as the Runnin' Bulldogs scored only 18 points in the paint, while 42 of Charlotte's 74 points came from the paint. The Gardner-Webb bench was also outscored by the 49ers, 40-11.

The 'Dogs will play their first game inside Paul Porter Arena on Thursday, November 7 when they host Chowan at 7:00 p.m. The game will be considered an exhibition for both teams. Gardner-Webb's first regular season home game is set for November 14 when the Wofford Terriers make the trek to Boiling Springs.