BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Ten players scored in Gardner-Webb's 68-46 win over the Hampton Lady Pirates on Tuesday night, as a 26-11 advantage in the second quarter helped the Runnin' Bulldogs earn the victory.
Gardner-Webb (14-12, 8-6 Big South) trailed by four following the first period, but the tide would change in the second quarter as the 'Dogs limited Hampton to just 11 points and outscored the Lady Pirates by 15.
With 6:18 remaining in the quarter,
Morgan Pointer put the Runnin' Bulldogs ahead with a three-pointer, but Hampton would tie the contest at 15 less than 15 seconds later.
Hampton's (13-11, 9-4 BSC) Ashley Bates used an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game, but
Ky'Asia Stanford would answer with a layup with 5:46 to go until halftime to put the Runnin' Bulldogs in front for good.
Leading by five, 22-17, Gardner-Webb went on a 6-0 run in just 36 seconds with
Jhessyka Williams,
Carley Plentovich and
Gabrielle Caponegro contributing points. Caponegro's jumper with 2:30 remaining in the period gave the Runnin' Bulldogs their first double-digit lead of the game, 28-17.
After Hampton briefly cut GWU's lead to seven, four straight points by C. Plentovich helped the 'Dogs lead by 11 at the half, 32-21.
In the third period, Gardner-Webb outscored Hampton by five points but led by as many as 18 points when Caponegro and
Neydja Petithomme hit mid-range jumpers on back-to-back possessions.
Ashley Bates' driving layup off a pass from Lauren Vanarsdale made it a 16-point game, 51-35, in favor of the Runnin' Bulldogs, with one quarter remaining.
Gardner-Webb limited the Lady Pirates to just four points over the first 4:22 of the final quarter, and took a 20-point lead when Williams connected from downtown. The Runnin' Bulldogs led by as many as 23 points.
Hampton's final bucket, a three-pointer from Vanarsdale, came with 2:05 remaining, while
Corinna Wiegand was credited with Gardner-Webb's final two points – a pair of free throws with 1:27 left in the contest.
The 68-46 win was Gardner-Webb's first over Hampton in the Runninn' Bulldogs' Division I era and allowed the 'Dogs to split the season series with the Lady Pirates. Each team won on their home floor.
Gardner-Webb shot 25-of-61 (41 percent) from the floor, while Hampton was only slightly worse. The Pirates hit 21-of-53 attempts (39.6 percent).
The big differences in the box score were three-pointers and free throws. Hampton was just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Runnin' Bulldogs took 20 triples and hit seven with Carley and
Savannah Plentovich combining for five. Hampton took five free throws and made three, while Gardner-Webb went 11-of-15 (73.3 percent) at the charity stripe.
Three Runnin' Bulldogs scored in double figures with the Plentovich twins leading the way. C. Plentovich scored a game-high 21 points, while S. Plentovich contributed 12 points. Caponegro also hit double figures, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor and pulling down a team-high six boards.
Hampton was led by Bates' 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Kaylah Lupoe contributed 14 points for the Lady Pirates, while also grabbing seven boards and dishing out four assists.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will begin on a two-game road swing on Saturday, February 23 when they travel to take on the High Point Panthers at 4 p.m. The 'Dogs will conclude the road trip on Tuesday, February 26 with a 7 p.m. contest at Charleston Southern.
