Box Score
Salisbury, N.C.----Catawba College sophomore guard
Chloe Bully (Hannut, Belgium) and senior forward
Elizabeth Merritt (Lexington, N.C.) combined for 40 points to help the Indians rally for a 68-60 South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball victory over number 22 Wingate University Wednesday night in Goodman Gymnasium. The contest was the league opener for both teams as Catawba (4-2 overall) won its fourth consecutive game.
Wingate (4-2 overall) hit a season-high nine three-point field goals, but the host Indians shot 57.1 percent in the second half (12-of-21). Bulldog junior guard
Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) led the visitors with a season-high 18 points. Wingate senior guard
Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) contributed 17 points, while junior forward
Chantal Dunbar (Norfolk, Va.) pulled down 12 rebounds. Bully led all scorers with 21 points, while Merritt posted 19 markers.
Wollett hit a triple seven seconds into the second half, giving Wingate a 33-27 advantage. The six-point edge equaled the Bulldogs’ largest lead of the evening. Catawba senior guard
Quaneasia Coleman (Duluth, Ga.) and Dunbar traded inside hoops to make the score 35-29 Wingate at the 18:45 mark.
Catawba answered Dunbar’s bucket with a 20-5 run, capped by a three-point field goal by junior center
Antoinette McPhail (Timmonsville, S.C.) with 10:17 to go. Five different players contributed to the flurry, with McPhail and Bully topping the charts with five points each.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to four, thanks to a Wollett lay-up and an old-fashioned three-point play by freshman forward
Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) with 8:49 remaining. McGee’s field goal and free throw made the score 49-45 Catawba.
Bully responded with a personal 5-0 run to push the margin back to nine at the 7:44 mark. Bully’s two free throws gave the hosts a 54-45 bulge. Williams hit two three-pointers to keep the Bulldogs close in the waning moments. The second Williams long-range jumper made the score 59-55 Catawba with 90 seconds remaining.
Wingate sophomore guard
Kelli Bonner (Yadkinville, N.C.) hit a triple with 24 seconds left, cutting the deficit to 63-60. Merritt made four-of-four free throws in the final 19 seconds to keep the Bulldogs at bay. McPhail added one charity toss with four seconds left to seal the deal.
The Bulldogs led 30-27 at intermission, thanks to 12 first-half points from Williams. Merritt had 11 points in the first 20 minutes for Catawba. Both teams shot 32.4 percent in the opening frame.
Wingate outrebounded Catawba 45-32, thanks to Dunbar’s 12 boards and eight rebounds from senior forward
Tish Logan (Suitland, Md.). McPhail had 13 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double. Bully added six assists, four rebounds and three steals to her statistics ledger. Catawba turned 14 Wingate turnovers into 18 points. The Bulldogs’ 18 offensive rebounds led to 14 second-chance points.
Both teams hit the road Saturday. Wingate visits UNC Pembroke for a 4 p.m. contest. Catawba ventures to Anderson (S.C.) for a 2 p.m. league encounter.
Newspaper Box Score
Wingate vs Catawba
11/28/12 6 p.m. at Salisbury, N.C.
CATAWBA 68, #22 WINGATE 60
#22 WINGATE (4-2 overall, 0-1 SAC)
Williams, Janitsha 7-14 0-2 18; Wollett, Sarah 6-15 1-4 17; McGee, Morgan 3-8 3-3 9; Dunbar, Chantal 4-7 0-0 8; Logan, Tish 2-10 0-0 4; Bonner, Kelli 1-5 0-0 3; Boston, Brooklyn 0-3 1-2 1; Boyd, Sharee 0-1 0-0 0; DeBerry, Jasmine 0-0 0-0 0; Thompson, Jakari 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-65 5-11 60.
CATAWBA (4-2 overall, 1-0 SAC)
Bully, Chloe 8-13 3-3 21; Merritt, Elizabeth 4-9 10-10 19; McPhail,
Antionette 4-6 1-2 10; May, Taylor 3-8 0-0 6; Ucinski, Emma 1-5 2-2 5; Dixon, Janna 1-4 0-0 3; Clay, Mallary 1-2 0-0 2; Coleman, Quaneasia 1-7 0-0 2; Ciric, Jelena 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 16-17 68.
#22 Wingate................... 30 30 - 60
Catawba....................... 27 41 - 68
3-point goals--Wingate 9-25 (Williams, Janitsha 4-9; Wollett, Sarah 4-9; Bonner, Kelli 1-5; Logan, Tish 0-2), Catawba 6-17 (Bully, Chloe 2-5; Dixon, Janna 1-2; Merritt, Elizabeth 1-3; Ucinski, Emma 1-4; McPhail, Antionette 1-2; Clay, Mallary 0-1). Fouled out--Wingate-None, Catawba-None. Rebounds--Wingate 45 (Dunbar, Chantal 12), Catawba 32 (McPhail, Antionette 13). Assists--Wingate 15 (Bonner, Kelli 5), Catawba 15 (Bully, Chloe 6). Total fouls--Wingate 12, Catawba 9. Technical fouls--Wingate-None, Catawba-None. A-307
