BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Jhessyka Williams scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Runnin' Bulldogs past Hampton, 70-59, in Big South Conference women's basketball action inside Paul Porter Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Gardner-Webb improves to 12-10 overall and 7-6 in Big South play, while Hampton falls to 12-10 overall and 8-5 in league action.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs trailed Hampton early in the contest, with the Pirates closing the opening period with a 9-1 run over the final 3:11 to hold a 20-13 lead after one quarter.
 
GWU battled back in the second period.  After trailing 23-17 with 8:34 on the clock, the 'Dogs rattled off 14 unanswered points, capped by layup by Gabrielle Caponegro with 1:51 to go in the frame to hold a 31-23 lead.  The Pirates broke the run on their following possession, and Gardner-Webb would take a 31-35 lead into the locker room for halftime.
 
Gardner-Webb remained hot at the onset of the third period, outscoring Hampton by a 15-4 margin to build a game-high 17-point lead after a three-point basket by Carley Plentovich with 4:28 on the clock.  The Pirates began to battle back, closing the quarter on a 10-2 run to trim the 'Dogs lead to 48-39 with one period remaining.
 
Hampton pulled within four points of the lead early in the fourth period, opening the quarter with a 5-0 spurt, but Williams would drain a three-pointer to end the run and put the Runnin' Bulldogs back on track.  Both teams went to the free throw line several times in the final minutes of play, with each team converting eight chances.  GWU slowly pulled away from Hampton during that stretch, and after a pair of late free throws by Williams with 14 seconds left, GWU would set the margin at 11 points, with the final score being 70-59.
 
Williams led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, her best offensive output of the season.  The sophomore guard also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.  Carley Plentovich followed with 14 points on a 6-of-15 outing, while Savannah Plentovich added 11 points and Caponegro finished with 10 points.
 
Laren VanArsdale led Hampton offensively with 17 points on the day, followed by Nylah Young who had a 14-point, 11-rebound outing.  MaKayla Timmons and Ashley Bates each added 10 points.
 
For the game, the Runnin' Bulldogs made 24-of-57 (41.1 percent) of their attempts from the floor, including 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from long distance.  GWU was also 15-of-20 (75.0 percent) from the free-throw line.
 
The Pirates went 19-of-49 (38.8 percent) on the day, including 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from beyond the arc.  Hampton was also 18-of-29 (62.1 percent) from the free-throw line.
 
Gardner-Webb made the most of Hampton's miscues throughout the game, outscoring the Pirates, 27-7, off of turnovers.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs remain home for their next contest, hosting Longwood on Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 pm.  Tuesday's game will be the team's annual "Play4Kay" game in which GWU will wear pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness and to raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.  Fans can pledge a donation per made free throw by Gardner-Webb in the month of February or give a one-time donation by visiting https://pledgeit.org/gardnerwebb-play4kay.