Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women’s basketball team completes a two-game home stand Wednesday, entertaining Newberry College in Cuddy Arena. Game time is 6 p.m. The Newberry Wolves (10-4 overall) top the SAC standings with a 5-1 league ledger. Wingate enters the contest 9-5 overall and 3-3 in the SAC. Bulldog head coach Barbara Nelson and her troops have compiled a 42-12 home record in her five seasons at the Wingate helm.
 
On Saturday afternoon, the Wingate bench outscored the Mars Hill reserves 62-14 en route to an 87-66 SAC victory in Cuddy Arena. Sophomore guard Nikki Burton (Charlotte, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with 22 points and seven steals. Sophomore guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) added 16 points, while senior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) and sophomore forward Chantal Dunbar (Norfolk, Va.) contributed 11 points each.
 
Bulldog freshman guard Jade Montgomery (Monroe, N.C.) established career-highs in points (eight), rebounds (three), steals (two) and blocked shots (one). The Piedmont High School product hit two-of-three field goals and four-of-seven free throws on the way to her eight-point night. Wingate converted 35 Mars Hill turnovers into 49 points. The Bulldogs had 28 fast-break points, compared to zero for the Lions.
 
Newberry junior guard Kendra Brown posted 17 points and eight steals to lead the Wolves to a 57-55 home victory over Carson-Newman Saturday afternoon. Freshman forward Haylee Lepaio hit two free throws with four seconds remaining to provide the winning margin for the hosts. One of six Australians on the Newberry roster, Lepaio recorded 14 points against the C-N Eagles.
 
The two teams split two games last year, with the visiting team taking the victory each time. On January 19, 2011, the Bulldogs had four players score in double figures and led wire-to-wire in a 76-61 triumph at Newberry. Washington led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Williams, junior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) and senior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) had 11 points each.
 
On Feb. 16, 2011, Newberry shooting guard Helen McKinney (’11) hit a career-high six three-point field goals and posted a game-high 28 points to lead the Wolves to a 66-50 victory in Cuddy Arena. Washington had 13 points, while Rutledge contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Rutledge made six-of-10 field goals (60 percent). The rest of the Bulldogs hit 13-of-49 field goals (26.5 percent).

On the season, Burton leads the Bulldogs in scoring (14.8 points per game), field goal percentage (48.2 percent), steals (51) and blocked shots (17). Her 3.92 steals per game are second in the SAC. Burton recorded a season-high 25 points in her Bulldog debut, an 84-59 victory over Winston-Salem State on Nov. 18.

Washington averages 11.2 points per game, while Williams contributes 10.7 points per contest. Williams tops the Wingate charts with 14 three-point field goals. Washington is next with 12 triples. Rutledge leads Wingate with 7.1 rebounds per game. She averages 9.4 points per game as the only Bulldog to start all 14 games this season.

Lepaio leads Newberry in scoring (17.9 points per game) and rebounding (8.9 rebounds per game). Wolves junior guard Neicey Lewis averages 13.1 points per game, while Brown contributes 10.7 points per game. Wingate (+4.00) and Newberry (+2.57) are second and third, respectively, on the SAC turnover margin list. The Bulldogs lead the league in blocked shots steals (199) and chart in the number two position in blocked shots (63) and free throw percentage (72.0).

Nelson has international coaching through USA Basketball. After leading the USA to a perfect 5-0 record and gold medal in the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, Nelson helped the USA take the crown at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in Toulouse and Rodez, France. In 2010, USA Basketball named Nelson Co-Developmental Coach of the Year. In her first season at Wingate, Nelson helped the Bulldogs advance to the 2008 Elite Eight.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,500 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 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 five years.
 
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 42 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 51 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.