Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women’s basketball team starts the second half of the South Atlantic Conference schedule Saturday, hosting Lincoln Memorial University for a 2 p.m. game in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs (12-5 overall, 6-3 SAC) have won five games in a row, while the LMU Railsplitters (9-8 overall, 4-5 SAC) have dropped four of their last five.
 
On Wednesday, Wingate sophomore guard Nikki Burton (Charlotte, N.C.) scored 19 of her 23 points after intermission to lead the Bulldogs to a 61-51 SAC victory over Anderson (S.C.) University in Cuddy Arena. Burton hit six-of-10 field goals and 11-of-13 free throws en route to her top scoring performance against a league opponent.
 
Burton notched her first Wingate double-double with a team-high 12 rebounds. Wingate finished the game on a 20-10 run. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Trojans 46-33, thanks to Burton, sophomore guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C., nine rebounds) and junior forward Tish Logan (Suitland, Md., eight boards).
 
The Bulldogs have back-to-back games with a double-figure rebounding margin, as Wingate had a plus-17 rebounding bulge Saturday at Brevard. The Bulldog bench outscored the Anderson reserves 41-5. Wingate held a 14-4 advantage in fast-break points and a 14-3 edge in second-chance points.
 
Lincoln Memorial lost a 74-72 heartbreaker to Carson-Newman College Wednesday night in Harrogate, Tenn. LMU senior guard Dayshalee Salaman (Carolina, P.R.) had a game-high 26 points. She added six rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Moriah Richardson (Lawrenceville, Ga.) added 12 points and four rebounds to the LMU cause.
 
In the first meeting between the two teams, Wingate trimmed a 19-point deficit to two late in the second half. The Bulldogs could not get over the mountain, as the Railsplitters earned an 82-73 home victory on Nov. 30, 2011. Senior guard Amberly O’Dell (Argos, Ind.) had 20 points to lead the LMU attack, hitting six-of-10 shots from three-point range. Salaman had 14 points and six assists. Burton had 21 points, seven rebounds and five steals in her SAC debut.
 
Burton is seventh in the NCAA (and second in the SAC) with her 3.6 steals per game. She leads the Bulldogs in scoring (15.6 points per game), field goal percentage (48.3 percent), free throw percentage (81.1 percent), steals (57) and blocked shots (19). Wingate has three players averaging double-figure points. In addition to Burton, senior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) averages 10.6 points per game, while Williams contributes 10.4 points per game.
 
LMU 6-5 center Lauren Cochran (Autryville, N.C.) leads the NCAA Division II in field goal percentage, hitting 61 percent of her attempts (119-of-195). Salaman is sixth in the nation in points per game (21.6), while sophomore guard/forward MaRanda Boddie (Springfield, Ohio) is 10th in rebounding (11.3 rebounds per game). Salaman leads the SAC in scoring, while Boddie is second (to Catawba’s Dana Hicks) in rebounding.
 
Bulldog head coach Barbara Nelson and her troops have compiled a 44-12 home record in her five seasons. Nelson’s overall record is 88-48 during her time at Wingate. In her first season at Wingate, Nelson helped the Bulldogs advance to the 2008 Elite Eight. Wingate has made NCAA play-off appearances in two of her four seasons. LMU head coach Roger Hodge is in his first season with the Railsplitters. He compiled a 138-97 overall record as the head coach at Armstrong (Ga.). Hodge spent the two most recent seasons as an assistant coach at East Carolina.
 
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.