BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.  – Behind a season-high 28-point performance from junior guard Ashley Hawkins, the Gardner-Webb University women's basketball squad defeated Appalachian State University on Friday night, December 15 with a score of 82-78. The Runnin' Bulldogs earned their first win of the 2023-2024 regular season with the victory over App State. This is the 'Dawgs first win over App State since November 22, 2019.
 
Gardner-Webb opened the first period with a 7-3 lead after a Micahla Funderburk sink from behind the arc. After two ties, the Mountaineers picked up their first lead at 11-9. Forward Trinity Moreland knocked down two shots from the charity stripe to tie the score at 15 apiece with 55 seconds remaining, but App State would hit two of their own to lead by two after 10 minutes. 
 
In the second quarter, Appalachian State began to build on the lead with a 24-15 advantage opening the period. Two three-pointers from Lauren Bailey cut the Mountaineer's lead to four at 29-25. A trio of three-point makes by the 'Dawgs before heading into halftime, cut the deficit to one at 37-36. Bailey and Funderburk each nailed two three-pointers in the quarter.
 
Appalachian State held the lead for the majority of the third quarter, but would be unable to hold on late in the period. The 'Dawgs had multiple chances to take the lead early in the third quarter, pushing the margin to one point on four occasions and tying the score once. Gardner-Webb eventually pulled ahead with 1:12 on the clock after second-chance layup by Bailey at 55-54. Hawkins extended the lead to three after the driving layup with three seconds. 
 
The 'Dawgs jumped out with confidence, with Bailey nailing a three-pointer to open the final quarter. Three straight makes by Hawkins officially handed the Runnin' Bulldogs their first 10-point lead of the contest. A second-chance layup from Ramatoulaye Keita secured Gardner-Webb's largest lead of 13 at 69-56. The Mountaineers would only manage to cut the 'Dawgs lead to six before tacking on a few buckets right before the buzzer and shrinking the deficit to four. Ultimately, Gardner-Webb would hang on to secure its first win on the season. Hawkins scored 12 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter to help the 'Dawgs secure the victory. 
 
NOTABLE STATS
On top of Hawkins 28 points, she knocked down 10-of-11 from the stripe and dished out a game-high six assists. Her 10-of-11 makes from the stripe is tied for third-highest free throw percentage (.910) in program history. Bailey scored 15 points, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Funderburk followed Bailey scoring 12 for the 'Dawgs, all four makes from three. Freshman forward Andrea Martinez was a defensive anchor for Gardner-Webb, hauling in 11 boards and collecting four steals. Gardner-Webb outscored App State, 20-13, in second-chance points and shot 43 percent compared to the Mountaineer's 36 percent from the field. The 'Dawgs also shot 40.7 percent from three-point land while App State were held to 16 percent.
 
UP NEXT
The Runnin' Bulldogs turn around quickly for a strong matchup with SEC opponent, the University of Florida, on Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 p.m. This is the program's first home game versus a Power 5 opponent since the 2010-2011 season.