CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern's late rally came up short as the Buccaneers were unable to complete their rally in a tight game on Thursday night inside the Buc Dome as CSU fell to visiting Gardner-Webb, 55-51.

In a contest that featured 13 lead changes and nine ties, the game came down to the final minute as CSU's DJ Fowler and Kirklin Kirkpatrick both had three-pointers miss the mark, leading to GWU's Jasmine Dale converting three late free throws to seal the victory as the Buccaneers fell in Big South play.

Charleston Southern falls to 8-11, 4-6 in conference action on the year with the loss, while Gardner-Webb improves to 11-8, 6-4 with the narrow victory.

Anicia Dotson picked up her third double-double of the season for the Buccaneers in the loss with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the game, but she was the lone offensive player for CSU in double-digits as the Bucs struggled to hit from the floor in shooting 29.5 percent as a team in the game. Tatum Jarvis and Kirkpatrick both had nine points for the Bucs, while Alyssa Mann had five assists to pace the CSU offensive leaders.

Olivia Parker led the way for Gardner-Webb with her own double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Catrina Green narrowly missed one of her own with 12 points and nine boards. The Runnin' Bulldogs held the 57-34 rebounding advantage in the contest and out-scored CSU 34-14 inside the paint in the win. Dale was also in double-digits with 10 points, going 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the win.

CSU and GWU traded baskets early in the second half, as there were ten lead changes by the second media timeout.

Jarvis highlighted the early second half scoring for the Bucs with a pretty running right-handed scoop shot while being fouled, and hit the free throw for a three-point play and a 31-30 CSU lead.

Kirkpatrick twice gave CSU leads with three-pointers. The first moved the Bucs ahead, 34-32, as Kirkpatrick was the beneficiary of her own steal with a trey from the top of the key. LaVenice set Kirkpatrick up for a corner triple and a 37-36 Bucs' lead several possessions later, hitting her fellow senior with a beautiful pass out of the low post. LaVenice added an offensive put-back of a Fowler miss as well, giving CSU a 39-38 lead at the 12:13 mark.

The CSU lead was short-lived as Olivia Parker followed making one of two free throws and Green put in the layup as Gardner-Webb went back up 41-39, to give the Runnin' Bulldogs their final lead of the game with 11:07 to play.

Brown followed with a jumper inside the paint to increase the GWU lead to four at the 9:23 mark, but Dotson answered with a three-pointer again cutting the Runnin' Bulldogs lead back down to one on the other end. A Dale layup was answered by a Dotson jumper as the teams remained locked in a one-possession game with 8:21 left, with Gardner-Webb holding the 45-44 lead.

GWU would press their advantage behind Parker on the offensive glass as the Runnin' Bulldogs went up 52-46 with 4:13 to play in the contest. Gardner-Webb went up on the Parker layup and following a series of four missed shots from within three feet of the basket, Parker was fouled. She converted one of two free throw attempts to give GWU their largest lead of the second half.

Charleston Southern again rallied back, cutting the deficit down to within one point with 1:56 remaining in the contest as Erin Bratcher connected on her first three-pointer of the game to cut the deficit down to 52-51. Natasha Lebedeva started the run with a layup off the inside pass from Alyssa Mann and Green missed a pair of free throws to help the Buccaneers rally back.

Fowler had an opportunity to put the Bucs ahead in the final minute, but her deep three-point attempt from the top of the key missed short and Dale stretched the GWU lead out to three points with a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left. Kirkpatrick came off the screen to the right wing with an open look for the final CSU shot of the game, but her attempt missed long and Dale knocked down a free throw to put the game out of reach.

Charleston Southern fell behind by as many as seven in the first half, but overcame 27 percent shooting to forge a 18-9 run and take a 25-23 lead into halftime. The Bucs were excellent defensively as well, limiting Gardner-Webb to 31 percent shooting while forcing 12 turnovers.

Fowler put Charleston Southern on the scoreboard first with a steal and layup in transition. The Bucs struggled offensively in the early going, though, connecting on only 2-of-13 shots against a stingy Gardner-Webb defense.

Dotson accounted for CSU's other early basket, draining a three from the right wing to move the Bucs in front, 5-2. Gardner-Webb had its problems against the Bucs' zone, meanwhile, but went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. Catrina Green banked in a turn-around jumper, and Jasmine Dale finished the spurt with a pair of free throws.

CSU then snapped a five minute scoreless stretch on a Rochelle Brophy baseline jumper, only to see GWU build its advantage up to 14-7 with four quick points. The Bucs would control the rest of the half, holding GWU to only three field goals over the final 5:27.

Jarvis gave the Bucs some much needed scoring punch off the bench with a pair of three-pointers, the second of which came off a pick and pop with Mann to tie the game at 18-18.

CSU also received contributions from its bench during the stretch run of the first half. Senior Erin LaVenice blocked a Green shot to fire up the Buc Dome crowd and lead to a free throw by Dotson to give CSU a 19-18 advantage. Following a Gardner-Webb free throw, Kirkpatrick put the Bucs back on top with a three from the top of the key off an offensive rebound by Jarvis.

Dotson drove the lane for an old fashioned three-point play to give CSU its final points of the period, before a Jessica Heilig free throw accounted for the 25-23 halftime margin.

CSU heads back on the road Sunday, as the Bucs travel to UNC Asheville. Tipoff at Kimmel Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.