RADFORD, Va. – Gardner-Webb took an early lead, but the UNC Asheville Bulldogs battled back with a 47-point second-half to defeat Gardner-Webb, 72-56, in the Big South Conference quarterfinals.

The Runnin' Bulldogs raced out to a 9-0 lead within 3:38 thanks to stellar defense that forced three UNC Asheville turnovers. Gardner-Webb, which came into the tournament as the #5 seed, started the game a sizzling 7-of-10 from the floor and led by eight at the end of the first period.

UNC Asheville cut the Runnin' Bulldogs' lead to five, 19-14, with a three-pointer late in the first period, but Neydja Petithomme drained a pull-up three at the buzzer to extend Gardner-Webb's cushion to 22-14 after the first period.

The Bulldogs of UNCA opened the second quarter with a 7-0 in less than three minutes as Honorable Mention All-Conference selection Jessica Wall scored five quick points to spearhead UNC Asheville's run.

With just a 22-21 lead, back-to-back buckets by Gabrielle Caponegro and Jhessyka Williams gave Gardner-Webb a five-point lead. Williams' fastbreak layup was the Runnin' Bulldogs' final bucket for more than four minutes, but the 'Dogs managed to hold a three-point lead at the intermission, 28-25.

Gardner-Webb had cooled to a 48 percent mark from the field at end of 20 minutes, while Asheville shot 37 percent in the first half. Despite leading by three, the Runnin' Bulldogs were outrebounded, 19-13, including 7-3 on the offensive glass.

Early in the third, UNC Asheville's Brooke Jordan-Brown's layup tied the contest at 31 and sparked a 5-0 Bulldogs run as the #4 seed took its largest lead at the time, 36-31.

The Runnin' Bulldogs answered with a run of their own, capped off by a pair of Carley Plentovich free throws, which gave them a 37-36 lead. Gardner-Webb never led again as UNC Asheville ended the quarter on a 16-5 run and led by 12 after three quarters.

UNCA extended its lead to as 15 points early in the final quarter, and Gardner-Webb got no closer than 10 after Petithomme's old-fashioned and-1 with less than four minutes left.

UNC Asheville evened the 2018-19 season series with Gardner-Webb thanks to its 72-56 victory. GWU won the regular season matchup in Boiling Springs, 59-49.

In her final game as a Runnin' Bulldog, Ky'Asia Stanford scored 14 points. Caponegro and C. Plentovich each scored 12 points, and Petithomme added 10. After a sizzling 7-of-10 start from the field, Gardner-Webb ended the night just 24-of-65 (36.9 percent) overall.

UNCA's Nadiria Evans scored a game-high 19 points. The Bulldogs from Asheville erased a nine-point first quarter deficit and utilized a 47-point second half en route to the win. UNCA shot 45 percent (27-of-60) from the floor and held a 43-33 advantage on the glass. 

Gardner-Webb concludes its season with a 16-15 record. UNC Asheville now stands at 17-13 and advances to tomorrow's Big South semifinals against top-seeded Radford at 6 p.m.