BOX SCORE

Hickory, N.C.----The Tusculum College women’s basketball team led wire-to-wire, earning a 77-66 victory over Wingate University in the championship game of the 2011 Food Lion SAC tournament Sunday afternoon in the Catawba Valley Community College Multipurpose Complex. Tusculum led by 11 at halftime and withstood a second half rally by the Bulldogs.

Tusculum is 21-8 overall. The Pioneers earn their second consecutive tournament title and the league’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Division II tournament. Wingate is 19-10 overall. The Bulldogs will learn their NCAA tournament fate later Sunday evening.

SAC Player of the Year Jasmine Gunn (Nashville, Tenn.) led all scorers with 25 points. The 4-11 senior guard hit nine-of-18 field goals and three-of-four three-pointers Sunday. She added a team-high seven rebounds to her ledger. Senior guard Jasmine Parker (Rex, Ga.) had 17 points, while sophomore guard Kendal Baxter (Sevierville, Tenn.) contributed 12 markers.

Wingate junior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with 12 points. The first team All-SAC performer pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) and senior guard CC Brooks (Mount Holly, N.C.) added 11 points each for the Bulldogs.

Gunn scored 23 points in the first half as Tusculum bolted to a 42-31 lead at intermission. She hit nine-of-12 field goals in the opening frame, including the first basket of the game (a three at 19:32) which gave her team the lead for good. As a team, the Pioneers converted 53.6 percent of their first half shots (15-of-28). Wollett led Wingate with nine first-half points. The Bulldogs shot 35.3 percent (six-of-17) in the first half.

Parker hit a jumper with 19:47 to go in the second half to put the Pioneers up 44-31. Wingate responded with a 17-6 run to cut the deficit to 50-48 on a fast break lay-up by junior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) at the 10:17 plateau. Tusculum answered with a 17-5 flurry, taking a 67-53 lead on a Baxter triple at the 4:36 mark. Wingate would get no closer than nine points in the waning moments.

The Pioneers shot 48.1 percent from the floor (26-of-54). Thanks to Gunn, Baxter and senior guard Brittni Oliver (Kokomo, Ind.), the Pioneers hit six-of-11 three-point field goals (54.5 percent). Wingate shot 50 percent in the second half (14-of-28) and 44.4 percent for the game (20-of-45). The Bulldogs made five-of-10 from downtown (50 percent). Four Wingate players hit triples Sunday.

Tusculum converted 15 Wingate turnovers into 19 points. The Bulldog bench outscored the Pioneer reserves 27-18. Wingate had 16 second-chance points to eight for Tusculum. Four Bulldogs blocked one shot each. Tusculum senior center Catherine Hintz (Hastings, Minn.) had two blocks for the Pioneers.

Tusculum has qualified for four consecutive NCAA Division II tournaments. The Pioneers are 4-3 overall in the NCAA post-season, including a visit to the Elite Eight in 2010. Wingate hopes to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA dance. The Bulldogs lead the SAC with 10 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.