Morrow, Ga.----Forgive Wingate University head women’s basketball coach Barbara Nelson and senior guard CC Brooks (Mount Holly, N.C.) if they look back fondly on their last visit to the NCAA Division II play-offs. In 2008, the Bulldogs won the regional title en route to the program’s third berth in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

The top seed in the 2008 regional event, the Wingate Bulldogs defeated Johnson C. Smith, Augusta State and Clayton State to earn the Elite Eight visit. Eventual national champion Northern Kentucky defeated Wingate 78-65 in the 2008 national quarterfinals, but Nelson and Brooks have a treasure trove of memories from the season.

The number seven seed Bulldog women’s basketball team (19-10 overall) will face number two seed Lander University (27-3 overall) in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament in Morrow, Ga. Friday (March 11) at 3 p.m. The three-day event will be hosted by number one seed Clayton State University (see complete schedule below). The Bulldogs earned an at-large bid to the 2011 NCAA Division II play-offs.

First-round games will be played on Friday, March 11, with the semi-finals on Saturday, March 12 and the championship game on Monday, March 14. The South Atlantic Conference sends two teams to the dance, as Tusculum College (21-8 overall) is the number six seed.

The Southeast Regional includes three of the top 10 squads in this week’s USA TODAY/ESPN Division II top 25 Coaches’ Poll: number two Clayton State, number six Lander and number eight USC Aiken. The 64-team national tournament field includes 22 automatic qualifiers and 42 at-large selections. Winners of each of the eight regional tournaments will advance to St. Joseph (Mo.) Civic Center for the Elite Eight on March 22, 23 and 25, with the national title game to be televised by ESPN2.

Wingate leads the SAC with 11 appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament. Wingate has an overall NCAA tourney record of 14-10 with Elite Eight appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2008. Wingate has won 10 SAC regular season crowns and six Food Lion SAC tournament championships. The Bulldogs finished second in the league standings this year.

Bulldog junior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) was named to the All-South Atlantic Conference first team. The honor is the third consecutive All-SAC selection for Washington and marks the second straight year she has earned first team accolades. In addition, freshman guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) was named to the All-SAC Freshman team.

Washington leads the Bulldogs and ranks ninth in the SAC with 13.6 points per game. She is third in the SAC with her 41.7 shooting percentage from three-point range, while ranking seventh in the conference in free throw percentage (81.3). Washington reached 1,000 career points in Wingate’s victory at North Greenville this season.

Washington has scored double figure points 20 times in 29 games this year, while scoring at least 15 points 11 times. She scored 20 points in Wingate’s victory over Livingstone. Washington hit 13-of-14 free throws to score 20 points in the win over Lincoln Memorial.

The McDowell High School product scored a season-high 30 points in the victory over King. Her 18 points on five-of-five shooting from the field and eight-of-eight shooting from the free throw line led the ‘Dogs past 2010 regional champions Tusculum. She had a streak of seven consecutive games scoring at least 13 points in the second half of league play, capped by a 16-point performance in Wingate’s win over Mars Hill.

Williams finished third on the team and 21st in the SAC with 10.0 points per game. She was even better in conference games, averaging 11.1 points per contest. Williams is ninth in the league, shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc, while her 80.8 percent shooting from the free throw line is good for eighth in the conference. Williams hit 87.3 percent of her free throws in SAC play, ranking second in the league.
Williams hit double figures 13 times in 29 games. She scored 13 points in 19 minutes in her season debut, helping Wingate defeat Belmont Abbey in the season opener. She scored 18 points on six-of-nine shooting against Georgia College. Williams had 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Wingate past Lincoln Memorial. She had 24 points on seven-of-11 shooting in the win over Mars Hill. Williams finished the regular season with her first career double-double, scoring 24 points on eight-of-12 shooting, while pulling down 10 rebounds.

Bulldog junior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) is one of two Wingate players who are visiting their home state this weekend. Rutledge averages 10.4 points per game and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. Wingate junior guard Tiffany Brown (Cartersville, Ga.) contributes 7.0 points per game.

Wingate sophomore guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) averages 9.0 points per game. She has distributed a team-best 71 assists. Wollett is second on the team charts (to Washington) with her 34 three-point field goals.

Brooks helped the 2008 Wingate team make the aforementioned run to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. This year, she is contributing 8.0 points per game. Brooks is second on the team with her 55 helpers. In 2010, she averaged 8.8 points per game, second on the team charts.

2011 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional
Women's Basketball tournament
Clayton State University
Morrow, Ga.
(Athletics and Fitness Center)

Friday, March 11 (first-round games)
Tusculum (21-8) vs. USC Aiken (26-5) 1 p.m.
Wingate (19-10) vs. Lander (27-3) 3 p.m.
Francis Marion (18-9) vs. Clayton State (29-1) 6 p.m.
Barton (25-4) vs. Georgia College (22-6) 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 12 (semi-finals)
Winners of Friday’s 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. contests 5 p.m.
Winners of Friday’s 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. contests 7:30 p.m.

Monday, March 14
Championship game 7 p.m.

Tickets for the 2011 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional are $8 for adults and $3 for students. For more information, visit the NCAA web site at www.ncaa.com/.

Wingate in the NCAAs

2007-08
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Florence, S.C.)
First Round: Wingate 61, Johnson C. Smith 50
Second Round: Wingate 66, Augusta State 65
Finals: Wingate 82, Clayton State 72

NCAA Division II Elite Eight (Kearney, Neb.)
Elite Eight: Northern Kentucky 78, Wingate 65

2006-07
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Morrow, Ga.)
First Round: Georgia College & State 87, Wingate 67

2005-06
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Raleigh, N.C.)
First Round: Wingate 67, USC Upstate 59
Second Round: Wingate 67, Clayton State 64
Finals: Shaw 68, Wingate 57

2004-05
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Raleigh, N.C.)
First Round: Wingate 82, Columbus State 71
Second Round: Shaw 105, Wingate 74

2000-01
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Columbus, Ga.)
First Round: N.C. Central 81, Wingate 67

1998-99
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Florence, S.C.)
First Round: Wingate 77, Presbyterian 76
Second Round: Francis Marion 85, Wingate 72

1996-97
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Kennesaw, Ga.)
First Round: Georgia College & State 96, Wingate 88

1995-96
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Wingate, N.C.)
First Round: Wingate 84, Gardner-Webb 78
Second Round: Wingate 66, Mars Hill 56
Finals: Wingate 85, Bowie State 56

NCAA Division II Elite Eight (Fargo, N.D.)
Elite Eight: Shippensburg 78, Wingate 64

1994-95
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Norfolk, Va.)
First Round: Wingate 77, Carson-Newman 64
Second Round: Wingate 70, Norfolk State 68
Finals: Wingate 82, USC Spartanburg 63

NCAA Division II Elite Eight (Fargo, N.D.)
Elite Eight: Portland State 82, Wingate 69

1993-94
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional (Wingate, N.C.)
Semi-finals: Wingate 64, Presbyterian 63
Finals: Norfolk State 83, Wingate 80 (OT)

Wingate leads the South Atlantic Conference with 11 appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament. Wingate has an overall NCAA tourney record of 14-10 with Elite Eight appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2008. Overall, Wingate has won 10 SAC regular season crowns and six Food Lion SAC tournament championships. 

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private comprehensive university with more than 2,300 students on two campuses in Wingate and Matthews, North Carolina. The university offers 32 undergraduate majors, 36 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.

Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past four years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 38 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 47 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.