BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs jumped out to a 28-point halftime lead and cruised to a 69-33 win over the Chowan Hawks in exhibition play on Thursday night.
The Runnin' Bulldogs held Chowan to just 20 percent from the floor (11-of-55) and made 45 percent of their own attempts (27-of-64) in the rout. All Gardner-Webb student-athletes that were healthy for the contest played at least nine minutes.
Gardner-Webb opened the game on a 6-0 run, and Chowan got no closer than four as the Runnin' Bulldogs extended their lead to double-digits, 19-7, by the end of the first period.
The Hawks, which compete in the NCAA Division II ranks were never able to get the 'Dogs' advantage under 10 as a 27-point second quarter, which included a 9-0 run that began with a Gabrielle Caponegro jumper and ended with a Savannah Plentovich three-pointer, extended the Runnin' Bulldogs' lead to 19 by the 6:28 mark of the quarter.
Gardner-Webb scored the final seven points of the quarter with Lauren Bevis draining a triple with four seconds left to put the home squad up by just under 30 points, 46-18, at the intermission.
The 'Dogs increased their lead to more than 40 points thanks to a stellar defensive effort in the third quarter. Gardner-Webb held Chowan scoreless for the first 7:40 of the period and limited the Hawks to a mere four points in the quarter to lead, 62-20, with less than 10 go.
As both teams made numerous substitutions in the fourth quarter, the Hawks were able to trim six points over the Runnin' Bulldogs' lead and limited Gardner-Webb to five points in the final period. The final score read 66-39 in favor of the 'Dogs, but will not count towards the season results as it is an exhibition for both teams.
For Gardner-Webb, Bevis, found a rhythm, shooting 4-of-9 from the floor with two triples for a game-high 12 points. C. Plentovich and S. Plentovich were the second and third Runnin' Bulldogs in double figures respectively. Corinna Wiegand narrowly missed out on reaching double figures. She finished with eight points and a team-best seven boards in 19 minutes of action.
Chowan's Jahkeria Bagby paced the Hawks with eight points while Monique Jones contributed five points and collected nine rebounds.
The 'Dogs will return to play next Thursday when the host the Wofford Terriers. Tip time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
