BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb had another cold shooting night on its home court, falling 68-62 to Presbyterian in Big South Conference men's basketball action.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (5-9, 1-1 Big South) shot 25.9 percent from the floor in the first half and 28.8 percent for the game (17-of-59). GWU also misfired on eight free throws (19-of-27) and saw the Blue Hose (5-10, 2-0 Big South) own a 52-36 advantage on the glass.

Presbyterian scored 19 second-chance points in the game and kept several long possessions alive with 16 offensive rebounds. The visitors were also a crisp 22-of-27 at the free throw line.

Gardner-Webb trailed just 27-25 at halftime, despite a rough shooting half, and tied the game on a Ludovic Dufeal layup early in the second.

Presbyterian was not deterred, going on a 13-5 run to take a 43-32 lead with 12:40 left after a driving layup and free throw by Kody Shubert.

A 40-minute delay due to a medical emergency in the stands at the 11:19 media timeout saw both teams head back to the locker room and return to the floor for a 10-minute warm up before action resumed.

A layup by Jose Perez and a foul by the Blue Hose saw Gardner-Webb trail 45-38 at that point and was the start of a quick, 8-2 burst that allowed the Runnin' Bulldogs to trim the lead to 47-46 after an Eric Jamison, Jr., three-pointer, steal and dunk on ensuing possessions.

The score was tight from there. Jaheam Cornwall drained a pair of threes to trim the lead to 53-52 with 5:37 left and connected on three free throws with 4:25 remaining in the game – tying the score at 55 apiece.

Presbyterian again responded, getting a pair of free throws with 3:44 left from Michael Isler to take the lead for good.

Gardner-Webb was able to get within three points on two Jamison free throws with 1:41 left, but two turnovers on the next two possessions hampered any serious push down the stretch.

Presbyterian made five free throws in the final 40 seconds to salt away the win – its first in Paul Porter Arena since 2012.

Presbyterian shot 36.4 percent from the floor (20-of-55) and got double-doubles from Cory Hightower (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Ben Drake (10 points, 16 rebounds) to lead the way. Chris Martin and Shubert each supplied nine points – with buckets in several key situations.

Gardner-Webb got 19 points from Nate Johnson and 17 from Cornwall, but had just nine assists on 17 made field goals. Leading scorer Eric Jamison, Jr., had 13 points but endured a 3-of-16 shooting day. Jose Perez finished with seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Runnin' Bulldogs will be back in action on Wednesday night, hosting preseason favorite Radford at 7:00 pm. The game will air live on ESPN+.