FARMVILLE, Va. – Alexis Hueston had a career-best 19 points and 10 rebounds, recording her first career double-double to lead Gardner-Webb, but the Runnin' Bulldogs were unable to shake off a slow start, falling at Longwood by an 80-70 score in both team's Big South Conference opener.
 
Gardner-Webb (5-5, 0-1 Big South) shot just 35.7 percent (20-of-56) from the floor, while Longwood (5-5, 1-0 Big South) made 46.7 percent (28-of-60) of its attempts on the day.  Turnovers were a problem for both teams, as GWU turned the ball over 25 times, as did the Lancers on 24 occasions.
 
Longwood jumped out to an immediate 4-0 lead, taking advantage of a GWU turnover, in the opening 30 seconds of play.  The Runnin' Bulldogs responded with five unanswered points, claiming the lead with 6:55 on the clock on a layup by Morgan Pointer, and would again take the lead at 7-6 with 6:14 remaining in the first period after a mid-range jumper by Savannah Plentovich.
 
The GWU offense would go cold for the next three minutes, with six missed baskets while the Lancers went on a 9-0 run to build a 15-7 lead with 3:10 on the clock.  The 'Dogs broke the drought on a put-back basket by Hueston with 2:39 remaining, and would pull within four points at 15-11 with 2:08 left on a pair of free throws by Hueston, but Longwood answered with another 6-0 run to build a 21-11 lead.
 
Gardner-Webb closed the opening frame by scoring four points in the final 34 seconds to pull within six points at 21-15.
 
Longwood controlled the early minutes of the second period, outscoring the 'Dogs by a 10-4 margin to lead by 12 points at 31-19 with 5:33 on the clock, but the Runnin' Bulldogs would once again fight back, answering with a 15-4 run to pull within one point at 35-34 on a free throw by Ki'Ari Cain with 36 seconds remaining before halftime.
 
Longwood expanded its lead back to four points, 39-35, to end the second quarter.
 
The Lancers again jumped out to a double-digit lead at 54-43 with 4:52 left in the third period, but the 'Dogs rallied once more, chipping away at the deficit to pull within five points at the end of the quarter on a jumper by Savannah Plentovich to trail by a 56-51 margin as play headed to the final period.
 
GWU scored four unanswered points to open the fourth period, pulling within one point of the lead after a pair of free throws by Savannah Plentovich with 8:42 on the clock, but Longwood responded with an 18-3 run over the next 5:38 to build a 74-58 lead with 3:04 left in the game.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs attempted one last comeback with a 12-3 run over the next few minutes to pull within seven points after a Carley Plentovich three pointer with 29 seconds left set the score at 77-70, yet the Lancers would add a free throw by Anne-Hamilton Leroy and a basket by Dayna Rouse in the final seconds to seal the 80-70 decision.
 
Hueston paced the GWU offense with a career-high 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting, and was also 8-of-10 from the free throw line.  Carley Plentovich added 16 points on a 4-of-10 outing, as she now stands just 23 points away from joining the 1,000-point club.
 
Hueston also controlled the glass for the 'Dogs, grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds to record the first double-double of her collegiate career.
 
Rouse led Longwood with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Tuesday afternoon at Charleston Southern.  Tip-off is slated for 3:00 pm with live coverage on ESPN+.