Box Score Wingate, N.C.----Lander University sophomore guard Lea Saunders (Monroe, N.C.) hit a three-point field goal with 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Bearcats a 61-59 victory over Wingate University Wednesday afternoon in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. The basket gave Lander its only lead of the afternoon.
 
With the victory, Lander (3-4 overall) splits the season series with Wingate (5-5 overall). The Bulldogs earned a 57-56 victory at Lander Nov. 17, when Wingate senior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) hit a floater in the paint with four seconds to play.
 
Wingate junior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) led the hosts with 14 points. Wollett and junior forward Chantal Dunbar (Norfolk, Va.) contributed 12 points each. Dunbar recorded her fourth double-double of the season with her game-high 13 rebounds. She had 14 points and 10 rebounds in Wingate’s November victory at Lander.
 
The defending NCAA Division II Southeast Region champions were led by junior guard Aarika Judge (Augusta, Ga.) and her game-high 19 points. Judge had 41 markers in a Peach Belt victory at UNC Pembroke Monday. Freshman forward Emili Russ (Oxford, Ga.) had 16 points, while Saunders and senior forward Precious Elkins (Conyers, Ga.) notched 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
A three-pointer by Williams gave Wingate a 46-30 lead with 16:34 remaining in the contest. The 16-point advantage was the Bulldogs’ largest of the afternoon. Lander answered with a 15-4 run to cut the deficit to 50-45 on a Judge triple with 12:08 to play. The Central Florida transfer hit two three-pointers in the flurry, while Saunders and Elkins contributed four points each.
           
The Bearcats would get no closer than three points until the waning moments. A Dunbar jumper put Wingate up 57-51 with 3:18 to go. The basket was Wingate’s last field goal of the afternoon. Lander freshman guard Kenyona Armstrong (Warner Robins, Ga.) hit a three-pointer on a Saunders assist at the 2:08 mark to cut the Bearcat deficit in half.
 
On the next trip down the floor, Wollett hit two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 59-54 edge with 1:48 left. Eleven seconds later, Saunders hit a jumper to make the score 59-56 Wingate. After a Bulldog miss, Judge hit a fast-break bucket to bring the visitors within a single point at the 1:13 plateau.
 
After a Wingate turnover, Judge missed a triple with 45 seconds left. Another Bulldog miscue and a Saunders steal gave the Bearcats the basketball with 20 seconds to go. Saunders hit her game-winner on a feed from Judge. Wingate had one last chance, but Saunders stole the in-bounds pass as time expired.
 
The Bulldogs led 36-24 at intermission, thanks to nine first-half points by sophomore guard Kelli Bonner (Yadkinville, N.C.). Seven Wingate players found the first-half scoring column. Only three Bearcats scored in the first 20 minutes, with Judge leading the way with her 10 markers.
 
Wingate shot a season-low 30.4 percent from the field (21-of-69), while Lander converted 39.1 percent of its field goal attempts (25-of-64). Both teams hit six-of-20 from beyond the three-point line. Judge hit four triples, while Bonner topped the Wingate charts with two. Dunbar hit her first career three-point field in the second half (19:04) in only her second career attempt.

The Bulldogs outrebounded the Bearcats 50-39. Dunbar’s rebounding effort was supported by freshman forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) and her 11 boards. Dunbar added five steals and four assists to her stat book. Elkins joined Dunbar in the double-double club with her team-best 11 rebounds. Saunders paced Lander with six assists and four steals.
 
On the specialty statistics charts, Lander outscored Wingate in points in the paint (28-20) and bench points (21-10). The Bearcats turned 19 Bulldog turnovers into 15 points. Wingate turned 22 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. Dunbar led both teams with her nine offensive boards.
 
Wingate hosted the inaugural Future Bulldog Day Wednesday, as the Bulldogs welcomed 432 students and chaperones from six local elementary schools to the Lander game. Wingate will take a break for Christmas and return to action Wednesday, Jan. 2, hosting Salem (N.C.) College for a 7 p.m. contest. Lander faces Barton Saturday, Dec. 29 in Morrow, Ga. The Heritage Bank Classic game will tip-off at 3:30 p.m.

Newspaper Box Score
Lander vs Wingate
12/18/12 12 noon at Wingate, N.C.

LANDER WOMEN 61, WINGATE 59
LANDER (3-4 overall)
Judge, Aarika 7-20 1-2 19; Russ, Emili 8-12 0-0 16; Saunders, Lea 3-9 4-4 11; Elkins, Precious 5-13 0-0 10; Armstrong, Kenyona 2-4 0-2 5; Forest, Jade 0-0 0-0 0; Wade, Briana 0-5 0-0 0; Shaw, Jamie 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-64 5-8 61.
WINGATE (5-5 overall)
Williams, Janitsha 5-12 3-3 14; Wollett, Sarah 3-12 5-5 12; Dunbar, Chantal 5-11 1-3 12; Bonner, Kelli 3-8 1-2 9; Logan, Tish 2-7 1-2 6; Thompson, Jakari 2-4 0-0 4; McGee, Morgan 1-11 0-0 2; Boston, Brooklyn 0-0 0-0 0; Boyd, Sharee 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 21-69 11-15 59.
Lander........................   24   37  -   61
Wingate.......................   36   23  -   59
3-point goals--Lander 6-20 (Judge, Aarika 4-12; Armstrong, Kenyona 1-2;
Saunders, Lea 1-5; Wade, Briana 0-1), Wingate 6-20 (Bonner, Kelli 2-4;
Wollett, Sarah 1-6; Logan, Tish 1-4; Williams, Janitsha 1-4; Dunbar, Chantal 1-1; Boyd, Sharee 0-1). Fouled out--Lander-None, Wingate-McGee, Morgan. Rebounds--Lander 39 (Elkins, Precious 11), Wingate 50 (Dunbar, Chantal 13). Assists--Lander 9 (Saunders, Lea 6), Wingate 10 (Dunbar, Chantal 4). Total fouls--Lander 14, Wingate 11. Technical fouls--Lander-None, Wingate-None. A-530
NCAA D-II women's hoops, Cuddy Arena & Thomas Koontz Family Court
Future Bulldog Day at Wingate University, Wingate, N.C.
Wingate hosts Salem (N.C.) Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013 (7 p.m.)
Lander plays Barton Sat., Dec. 29, 2012 (at Morrow, Ga., 3:30 p.m.)