Morrow, Ga.----Three Wingate University sophomores combined for 49 points as the Bulldog women’s basketball team defeated Lander University 70-67 Thursday afternoon in the Heritage Bank Holiday Classic at the Athletics & Fitness Center on the campus of Clayton State University. With the victory, Wingate (6-2 overall) avenges an NCAA Division II Southeast Regional loss to the 2011 Bearcats. Lander falls to 6-3 overall.
 
Bulldog guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) led the second-year charge with a game-high 21 points. Classmate Chantal Dunbar (Norfolk, Va.) scored a career-high 16 points, while Nikki Burton (Charlotte, N.C.) completed the sophomore double-figure trio with 12 markers. Burton filled out her Thursday worksheet with eight rebounds and seven assists, both team-bests.
 
Lander senior guard Mukia Myrick (Columbus, Ga.) had 19 points to lead the Peach Belt Conference members. Senior guards Jasmine Judge (Augusta, Ga.) and Brittni Johnson (Athens, Ga.) notched 11 points each, while junior forward Janyce Ealey (Carrollton, Ga.) contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
“Our sophomores showed up today,” Wingate head coach Barbara Nelson says. “They played significant minutes…and they played hard. It’s nice to be young…and win.”
 
Williams hit six-of-11 field goals, including three-of-four from three-point range. The 2011 All-SAC freshman team member nailed six-of-six shots from the charity stripe, including four-of-four in the final 18 seconds as Wingate kept Lander at bay.
 
Dunbar converted six-of-10 field goals and four-of-four free throws en route to her career-best point total. “Chantal Dunbar played awesome tonight,” Nelson says. “She pushed the pace and ran the court well. She made life tough on Lander’s post players by running the court and utilizing her athleticism.”
 
A lay-up by freshman forward Sequoia Morton (Newport News, Va.) gave the Bulldogs a 43-33 lead with 14:45 remaining in the contest. The 10-point bulge was Wingate’s largest margin in an encounter featuring only three lead changes and four ties.
 
Lander responded with a 9-0 run, culminated by a Myrick triple at the 12:37 mark to cut the Bearcat deficit to 43-42. Johnson hit four-of-four free throws in the flurry. Wingate answered by scoring eight of the next 10 points, with Dunbar contributing six points. The Booker T. Washington High School product finished the spurt with an inside hoop at the 10:50 plateau, giving Wingate a 51-44 advantage.
 
Bearcat senior guard Ciara Lyons (Augusta, Ga.) hit one-of-two free throws to cut the Bulldog margin to 56-55 with 6:11 to play. A Judge fast-break hoop gave Lander its only second half lead at 64-63 with 2:24 remaining. On the next trip down the floor, the Bearcats fouled Wingate senior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) and the All-SAC performer drained both free throws to give the Bulldogs the lead for good.
 
Lander’s only points in the waning moments were a Johnson triple with two seconds to go. The Bearcats missed five other attempts in the final two minutes. Washington blocked a potential game-tying Lander three-point field goal try with 10 seconds to go, while Williams also had a key block down the stretch. Williams made a statement on the offensive end, scoring 11 of Wingate’s final 14 points.
 
The Bulldogs shot 39 percent from the floor (23-of-59), while the Bearcats hit 37.9 percent (22-of-58) of their field goal attempts. Lander knocked down seven triples, with Myrick and Judge nailing three each. Williams had three of Wingate’s four successful trifectas.

Wingate outscored Lander 32-24 in the paint. The Bulldogs blocked seven shots, with Burton and senior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) rejecting two shots each. The Bearcats held a slim 40-39 rebounding edge. LU senior center Kaylyn Small (Augusta, Ga.) corralled a game-high 13 boards.
 
Wingate faces host and defending national champion Clayton State Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. The CSU Lakers (8-1 overall) are the number five team in the most recent USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II top 25 coaches’ poll. Lander plays the University of West Georgia at 3:30 p.m. in the first game of Friday’s Heritage Bank Holiday Classic twin bill.