CLINTON, S.C. – Gardner-Webb rallied furiously from a double figures deficit in the second half, but fell short, 65-61, at Presbyterian on Thursday night.

Each of Gardner-Webb's (8-14, 4-6 Big South) six league losses have come by two possessions or less – or in overtime – this season.

The Runnin' Bulldogs led by as many as five midway through the first half behind solid defense and a three-pointers from Justin Jenkins and Jaheam Cornwall. Freshman Kareem Reid had four of Gardner-Webb's first 12 points and blocked two shots in the first 10 minutes of action.

Presbyterian (9-15, 5-4 Big South) heated up from long range later in the half, and led 38-31 at the break.

An 11-0 run to start the second half put the Blue Hose in control, but Gardner-Webb – as it has all season against Big South foes – began to chip away and fight back into contention. The Runnin' Bulldogs used a pair of solid runs to get as close as three points with five minutes to play – and pulled within two points on a pair of Nate Johnson free throws with 12.0 seconds remaining.

Presbyterian got two free throws from Chris Martin on the next trip and a Cornwall three-pointer that bounced in with 1.3 seconds left was disallowed because it grazed the shot clock. The Blue Hose inbounded and ran out the clock to seal the win.

Eric Jamison, Jr., led Gardner-Webb with 13 points, Jenkins added 11, Reid scored 11 and Cornwall netted 10 in the loss. Reid added seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

GWU shot just 36.4 percent for the game (20-of-55), but bumped that shooting effort up to 46.2 percent in the second half to rally.

Presbyterian shot 40.8 percent for the game and got 25 points from Martin to lead the way.

Gardner-Webb will continue its road trip close to home on Saturday, traveling to face USC Upstate at 4:30 PM.