BOILING SPRINGS, S.C. – The Presbyterian College women's
basketball team dropped a Big South Conference tilt on the road at Gardner-Webb
on Thursday, 55-38.
PC moves to 13-10 overall and 8-4 in the Big South while
Gardner-Webb improves to 11-11 and 4-7 in league action. PC takes a weeklong
break from competition before facing Coastal Carolina on the road on Thursday night
at 7 p.m. Gardner-Webb next hosts Charleston Southern on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
The second half broke a 22-22 halftime tie as Gardner-Webb
outscored PC 33-16 in the final stanza. The Blue Hose went ice cold after the
break, shooting 14.3 percent (3-for-21) in the second after shooting at a 52.9
percent clip (9-for-17) in the first.
Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.) led PC with 11 points and played all 40 minutes while
Shonda Burnside paced the Blue Hose on the boards, grabbing nine rebounds. Dria David (Lawrenceville, Ga.) dished out her 300th assist as well.
Candace Brown's 18 points led Gardner-Webb—all coming in the
second half.
The first half saw the two sides play to a 22-22 halftime
score in a physical opening period. PC turnovers helped Gardner-Webb overcome a
33.3 shooting percentage (9-for-27) while the Blue Hose converted on nine of
its 17 attempts. Taylor led the visitors with six points, all from beyond the
three-point arc.
Noelle Carter (Neptune, N.J.) played strong on the defensive
end, hauling in three rebounds while blocking a shot. The sophomore also found
Keyonna Allen (Forest Park, Ga.) in the post for PC's tying shot at the end of
the half. The two sides swapped the lead late in the half as PC battled through
a six-minute-long stretch without a field goal.
Treys from Kasey Hobbie (Spring Lake, N.J.) and Taylor early
gave PC enough of a cushion to hold Gardner-Webb at bay until the home side
tied the game at the 7:46 mark.
Jasmine Dale scored
10 of Gardner-Webb's 20 points in the opening half, connecting on two three-pointers.
The second half told a different story, guided by Brown's 18
points. Gardner-Webb raced out to a 15-4 run coming out of the locker room and
PC proved unable to cut into the gap.
Fouls plagued the Runnin' Bulldogs early, but PC struggled
to convert at the foul line, going 7-for-13 in the second half and 8-for-18
overall.
The win marked Gardner-Webb head coach Rick Reeves' 400th
career victory.
