Box Score Greenwood, S.C.----- Senior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) nailed a left-handed floater with four seconds left to give the visiting Wingate University Bulldogs a thrilling 57-56 victory over the 20th-ranked Bearcats of Lander University Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena. Wingate junior forward Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.) stole a last second, full-court attempt by Lander to seal the win and move the Bulldogs to 3-1 on the 2012 season. The Bearcats fall to 0-2.

Wollett finished with 11 points and four assists, while junior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) led Wingate in scoring for the second straight game with 15 points on six-of-11 field goals, including three baskets from beyond the arc. Dunbar posted her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She added three steals and three assists.

“We needed this win more than anything right now,” Wollett said after the win. “So much  of it was to prove we can win games like this and come together as a team. It means even more that it came on the road, especially against a ranked team.”

The Bearcats were led by senior forward Precious Elkins’ (Conyers, Ga.) 19 points in a game-high 37 minutes and junior guard Aarika Judge (Augusta, Ga.), who added 13 points and six assists.

The first three minutes of the game saw a pair of lead changes and ties, inlcuding at four apiece. Lander stretched their lead to 12-4 with an 8-0 run during a five minute scoreless drought for the Bulldogs. Wollett ended the drought with a layup that started a Wingate 10-0 run to take a 14-12 lead. Freshman forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) capped the spurt with the last five points.

Lander freshman guard Ariel Parker (Fayetteville, Ga.) converted a layup with 3:07 remaining in the first half, to push the Bearcats to a 22-17 advantage but the Bulldogs ended the half with a 8-2 run to take a 25-24 lead at the break. Sophomore forward Brooklyn Boston (Lenoir, N.C.) scored the final two buckets for Wingate.

The Bulldogs won their first two games when leading at half and Saturday afternoon would be no different. Although the Bearcats regained the lead 30 seconds into the second half, Wingate battled back each time, not trailing by more than five points over the first 10 minutes of the second half. Wingate finally regained the lead on a Dunbar transition bucket with 9:46 left that ignited a six minute back and forth stretch, featuring eight lead changes and two ties.

Wollett swished a three at the two minute mark, then added a foul shot to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the night, a six point advantage with 1:29 left. Lander answered with seven straight points, taking the lead at 56-55 on two clutch foul shots by Elkins. Wingate head coach Ann Hancock called timeout with 17 seconds left, leading up to Wollett’s heroics.

“We called a play and it broke down but great players find a way and that is what Sarah did today,” Hancock noted. “Somebody different seems to step up each day in important situations and that’s a nice option to have when you don’t have to get it to one player every time. Janitsha made some big shots and Chantal really got us going on the boards.“

The Bulldogs shot 39 percent from the field but struggled at the foul line with a season low 40 percent (nine-of-22). Wingate held the Bearcats to 33 percent shooting, including just two-of-14(14.3 percent) from three point range. Wingate held a 41-38 advantage on the boards to improve to 3-0 this season when controlling the glass.

Wingate will have a week off before hitting the floor again after the Thanksgiving holiday. The Bulldogs travel to Belmont Abbey College on November 24 for a 2 p.m. tip-off. Lander will have two weeks off before hosting the Pioneers of Tusculum on December 1.