ASHEVILLE, N.C. – After leading by one at the break, the Gardner-Webb women’s basketball team suffered through a long second-half scoring drought and netted just 16 points in the final 20 minutes, falling to UNC-Asheville by a 55-37 score in GWU’s last contest before the holiday break.

The loss drops GWU to 3-7 on the season while the Bulldogs of UNCA even its mark at 5-5 on the year.

Senior Shameka Smith recorded her first double-double of the season, tallying game-highs with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Smith did most of her damage from the line, hitting 9-10. Redshirt-junior Candyse Kelly also reached double figures in the points’ column, boasting 10 while also pulling down five rebounds.

Senior Brittany Harmon and redshirt-junior LaToya Carter did some damage on the glass, with Harmon pulling down eight and Carter grabbing seven in the game.

UNCA’s Stacy Shepard netted a team-best 12 points while Katie Baldwin chipped in 11.

Head coach Rick Reeves’ team hit only 10-48 from the field for the game. It struggled from behind the arc as well, managing to hit a mere 2-12. However, the squad, which had previously struggled from the foul line for much of the season, netted 15-22 for a 68.2 percent clip in the game.

After a Brittany Boyce three-pointer to open the second-half, the Bulldogs struggled to put points on the board, managing to net just three more in a 14-minute span before Carter hit a short jumper with just under six minutes left in the contest.

With GWU struggling from the floor, UNCA capitalized, outscoring the Bulldogs by 19 in the final 20 minutes. UNCA hit 12 field goals in the final period, four of which came from behind the arc.

Both teams struggled in the first half, but GWU’s strong start to the game enabled it to hold a 21-20 advantage at intermission. In the opening stanza, the Bulldogs hit just 6-19 from the floor while UNCA canned only eight shots in 33 attempts.

Over one-third of the Bulldogs’ points in the first period came from the foul line as GWU’s hard work in practice began to pay off, hitting 8-11 after struggling from the charity stripe for much of the season.

The Bulldogs team built an early 7-0 advantage with solid play as Smith and Harmon each had a bucket while Brittany Boyce drained a long three, all of which came in the first 3:14.

The Bulldogs have a few days off for the holidays before returning to the court on Dec. 29 at the Lehigh Tournament. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m. as GWU takes on the host team in the four school tournament.