BOX SCORE

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) had 21 points, knocking down four-of-five shots from three-point range, as the second-seeded Bulldogs defeated the seventh seeded Catawba College Indians 68-62 in quarterfinal action of the 2011 Food Lion SAC Tournament Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 18-9 overall, and advances to the semifinals Saturday. Catawba ends its season at 15-14 overall.

Wollett hit six-of-seven shots on the night, while handing out four assists. Junior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) scored all 10 of her points in the second half, while junior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) had nine points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs. Wingate will take on Carson-Newman College Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the CVCC Multipurpose Complex in Hickory, N.C.

 

Senior guard Milica Ivanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) led Catawba with 18 points to go along with five rebounds. Junior center Dana Hicks (York, S.C.) added 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Indians, while junior guard Jolysa Connor (Charlotte, N.C.) added eight points on four-of-five shooting.

 

The ‘Dogs used an 8-0 run to take a 20-11 lead nine minutes into the first half. Rutledge started the spurt with a triple, while a three from Wollett capped the flurry. The Indians scored eight of the next 10 points to trim the lead to three, getting buckets from Ivanovic and Hicks to finish the flurry. Wingate pushed the lead back to five, but Catawba finished the half on a 6-0 run, taking a one-point lead at halftime thanks to a jumper from sophomore center Elizabeth Merritt (Lexington, N.C.) with five seconds remaining.

 

The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 10-0 run, taking a 34-25 lead on a three from Washington, who had five points in the opening flurry. After Catawba cut it to seven, Wingate scored six straight points to take a 13-point lead, sparked by a Wollett triple and layup from freshman forward Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.).

 

A three from Ivanovic, followed by a bucket from Hicks cut Wingate’s advantage to eight with 4:03 remaining. Ivanovic drained a pair of free throws to get the Indians within six at the 2:39 mark. Wollett knocked down three free throws for the Bulldogs to push the lead back to nine with 34 seconds to go. Back-to-back triples from sophomore guard Johnna Foster (Huntersville, N.C.) cut the lead back to four with 19 seconds remaining, but Wollett knocked down two more free throws to secure the win for the Bulldogs.

 

The Bulldogs shot 39.3 percent on the night, shooting 51.6 percent in the second half. Wingate hit eight-of-15 shots from three-point range (53.3 percent), while holding a 45-34 rebounding advantage. Catawba shot 35.6 percent from the field, hitting five-of-22 from beyond the arc (22.7 percent).