Box Score
Greeneville, Tenn.----Wingate University freshman point guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) hit a career-high 20 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 78-68 South Atlantic Conference victory over Tusculum College Wednesday night in Pioneer Arena. The Wakefield High School product hit 10-of-12 free throws Wednesday.
Wollett led four players in double figures for the visiting Bulldogs (13-9 overall, 6-5 SAC). Wingate senior center Stacie Rhodes (Knightdale, N.C.) had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Wingate is 3-0 when Rhodes records a double-double.
Bulldog junior guard CC Brooks (Mount Holly, N.C.) had 13 points, while sophomore guard/forward Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) contributed 10 points and five rebounds. The 2009 SAC Freshman of the Year, Washington scored her 10 points after intermission.
Junior point guard Jasmine Gunn (Nashville, Tenn.) led Tusculum (14-8 overall, 7-5 SAC) with 19 points and eight assists. Pioneer junior guard Jasmine Parker (Rex, Ga.) added 14 points, while freshman guard Kendal Baxter (Sevierville, Tenn.) hit four triples for 12 points.
The Bulldogs won the battle on the glass by a 46-40 margin, while holding the Pioneers to a 37.1 percent clip from the field. Wingate leads the SAC in field goal percentage defense. The visitors converted 25-of-31 attempts at the free throw line, while the Pioneers went 12-for-18 at the charity stripe.
Wingate jumped out to an early lead in the first half, opening the game with an 8-2 run over the first four minutes before Baxter cut the gap to 8-5 with her first triple of the night at the 14:36 mark. Parker knotted the score at 8-8 less than a minute later, sinking a layup on the fast break, drawing the foul and converting the resulting free throw to record the three-point play with 13:44 to go in the half.
The Bulldogs quickly regained control, launching a 5-0 run after a Baxter three-pointer to open a narrow 15-11 lead on a jumper by Rhodes just after the 10-minute mark. Wingate would hold the lead until Tusculum freshman forward Chelsea McGowen (Cedar Point, N.C.) gave the Pioneers a 28-26 lead with a clutch rebound and put back after a missed free throw with 20 seconds left. Brooks then converted a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining in the half to send the game into the intermission knotted at 28-28.
Wingate came out firing in the second half, opening the period with a 13-3 run to take a 41-31 lead on a jumper by freshman center Jecia Anderson (San Antonio, Texas) with 15:27 to go in the game. The Pioneers answered with a quick 5-0 spurt, cutting the lead to 43-38 on a triple by Baxter at the 13:57 mark.
The Bulldogs responded with a 5-0 spurt of their own, stretching the lead back to 10 points with a lay-up by Rhodes at the 11:01 mark. After the Pioneers trimmed the margin to 49-46 with a 7-0 run, Wingate launched a 17-7 surge to open its largest lead of the game at 66-53 with 5:16 to go.
The Pioneers would cut the lead to 69-64 with an 11-3 spurt over the next four minutes before the Bulldogs’ superb free throw shooting sealed the win. Wingate converted nine-of-10 chances at the charity stripe over the final 1:09 to clinch the victory.
Tusculum returns to the court on Saturday when the Pioneers travel to Jefferson City, Tenn. to take on their arch-rival Carson-Newman College. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse. Wingate continues its road swing Saturday, visiting Brevard College for a 2 p.m. contest.
(Special thanks to Tusculum College assistant SID Whitney Noble for providing this story.)
