BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. –
Carley Plentovich scored a game-high 20 points, leading a trio of Runnin' Bulldogs in double-figures, as Gardner-Webb defeated Hampton by a 67-65 score in the final home contest of 2019 on Sunday afternoon.
Gardner-Webb (4-3) held a five-point lead over Delaware (3-6) with 2:28 left in the fourth period after a three-pointer by
Jhessyka Williams, but back-to-back baskets by the Blue Hens pulled Delaware back within one at 64-63 with 1:45 to go in the game.
Gabrielle Caponegro would put the 'Dogs back up by three on a layup with 1:13 on the clock, but Delaware scored on its next possession on a put-back basket by Samone DeFreese to set the margin at 66-63 with 53 seconds remaining.
Delaware would foul to send Gardner-Webb to the line over the final seconds, with Williams splitting a pair of free throws with five seconds left to put GWU up by a 67-65 margin. Abby Gonzales drove the floor in the remaining seconds, looking to tie the game on a layup, but the 'Dogs would draw a charge with 0.3 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Plentovich led all scorers with 20 points on a 4-of-11 performance from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long distance and a perfect 8-of-8 at the charity stripe. Williams added 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting, and Caponegro had 10 points.
Gardner-Webb shot at a 35.5 percent rate from the floor, making 22-of-62 attempts and was 8-of-21 from beyond the three-point arc. The Runnin' Bulldogs were stellar at the free throw line at 83.3 percent, making 15-of-18 attempts.
The Blue Hens were led offensively on the day by DeFreese with 19 points on a 9-of-20 performance. Nicole Enabosi provided 13 points and Jasmine Dickey contributed with 10 markers.
Delaware made 29 of their 64 attempts from the floor, making 45.3 percent of its baskets, but was just 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from long distance and 4-of-6 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line.
Gardner-Webb begins a five-game road trip on Friday, December 20, taking on Mercer. Tip-off is slated for 5:00 pm in Macon, Ga.
