CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern was unable to overcome a fast start by the Runnin' Bulldogs on Tuesday afternoon as the Buccaneers fell in their 2019-20 Big South home opener, 79-52.

Gardner-Webb (6-5, 1-1 Big South) jumped ahead early with an 11-0 run as the Runnin' Bulldogs took advantage of opportunistic rebounding and a big performance by Carley Plentovich in the win. The Bucs (2-9, 0-2 Big South) fought their way back to within striking distance on several occasions, but CSU was unable to make the necessary sustained run in order to cut into the GWU lead in the losing effort.

Tierra Steede completed her first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the game. The senior forward added a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line and four blocked shots in the loss.

Carmella Walker was also in double-digits for the Bucs with 11 points, including a 7-of-8 stretch from the free throw line. Overall, CSU was 18-of-23 (78.3%) from the charity stripe on Tuesday afternoon.

Carley Plentovich led all scorers with 27 points and added 10 rebounds for the Runnin' Bulldogs in the Gardner-Webb win. Gabrielle Caponegro added 11 points and a trio of steals, while Jhessyka Williams had eight points and 10 boards for GWU.
 
First Quarter – Gardner-Webb 19, Charleston Southern 10
Gardner-Webb made four of their first five shots and jumped out to an 11-0 lead over the first four minutes of the contest on their way to building an early double-digit lead. Tierra Steede put the Bucs on the board with a three-pointer at the 5:02 mark to end the Bucs' scoreless stretch. The Steede three-pointer sparked a 10-4 CSU run that cut the Bucs' deficit down to five points with 2:14 to play. Jhessyka Williams' late layup put the Runnin' Bulldogs ahead by nine at the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter – Gardner-Webb 42, Charleston Southern 25
The Runnin' Bulldogs took advantage of eight offensive rebounds and put together 12 second-chance points on their way to building the 17-point halftime advantage over the Bucs. Sha'Mya Leigh cut the GWU lead down to nine with 8:09 to play in the half with a fast-break layup, but that was as close as CSU was able to bring the margin in the second quarter.

Third Quarter – Gardner-Webb 59, Charleston Southern 47
CSU strung together a 12-0 run late in the third quarter aided by perfect shooting from the free throw line on their way to fighting back to within striking distance in the contest. Trailing 57-32 following a pair of Carley Plentovich free throws, Carmella Walker, Steede, and Leigh combined to go 10-of-10 from the free throw line over a three-minute stretch to cut the game down to 57-44. Plentovich ended the Bucs' run with a pair of shots from the free throw line, but Steede answered with a three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in the quarter to cut the GWU lead down to 12 heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.

Fourth Quarter – Gardner-Webb 79, Charleston Southern 52
Gardner-Webb iced the game from the free throw line as the Runnin' Bulldogs hit eight of their nine attempts in the fourth quarter, while Plentovich added eight points, including a pair of three-pointers to secure the conference win. Walker drove in for a layup for the Bucs with 6:32 remaining to narrow the lead down to 61-49, but GWU closed out the contest with an 18-3 swing to secure the Big South victory.

Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern shot 15-of-55 (27.3%) from the floor, 4-of-16 (25.0%) from the three-point line, and 18-of-23 (78.3%) from the free throw line in the loss.
• Gardner-Webb was 25-of-73 (34.2%) from the field, 9-of-29 (31.0%) from behind the arc, and 20-of-21 (95.2%) from the charity stripe in the win.
• Gardner-Webb held the 27-14 advantage on points off turnovers, 28-18 edge in points in the paint, and 25-10 advantage in second-chance points.
• The Runnin' Bulldogs lived up to their name with the 17-8 edge in fast-break points.
• Gardner-Webb held the 52-39 advantage in total rebounds in the contest.
• CSU picked up five blocked shots paced by Steede's season-high four.

News & Notes

• Tierra Steede was the Bucs' leading scorer for the third time in the last four games and established a new career-high in scoring in Big South games with 14 points.
• Steede is currently ninth all-time in CSU history with 58 blocked shots following her career-high four blocks on Tuesday afternoon.
• Carmella Walker's 11-point performance was her sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season, while her eighth consecutive game with multiple thefts.
• Steede's double-double was CSU's second of the season with Asia Smith the first to hit the achievement back on December 7 with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Virginia-Lynchburg.
• The Bucs have hit at least 75.0% of their free throw attempts in each of their last four games as CSU eclipsed the mark for the sixth time this season on Tuesday.

Up Next
Charleston Southern continues Big South play on Saturday, January 4, as the Buccaneers hit the road for an afternoon contest at Radford University. Tipoff inside the Dedmon Center is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.