Aiken, S.C.----Baseball coaches say solid pitching and defense trump good hitting. As Wingate University women’s basketball Coach Barbara Nelson prepares her Bulldogs for the 2012 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament Friday, she points to defense as the number one contributor to the team’s nine-game winning streak.
 
“We have begun to commit ourselves to team defense,” Nelson says as Wingate prepares to face Barton College Friday afternoon (1 p.m.) at USC Aiken’s Convocation Center. “Individually and collectively, we have made the decision…defense is a key. We are counting on our defense to feed our offense.”
 
“Secondly, we have learned to share the basketball,” Nelson says. “It took us awhile…but people are making the counter pass and the extra pass…different people are shooting and different people are scoring. Thirdly, our team is more relaxed. We cut back on our practices…to give our players more recovery time and less repetitions.”
 
The formula has helped third-seeded Wingate (22-7 overall) win nine straight, including the SAC regular season and tournament titles. The Bulldogs have won 11 SAC regular season crowns and seven Food Lion SAC tournament championships.
 
During the nine-game winning streak, the Bulldogs are scoring 68.8 points per game and holding opponents to 56.0 points game. Wingate is outrebounding opponents by 6.4 boards per game. The Bulldogs are shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep. Wingate has 102 steals, compared to 68 for their last nine opponents.
 
Wingate sophomore guard Nikki Burton (Charlotte, N.C.) was the Food Lion SAC tournament MVP. Burton led Wingate in scoring (14.0 points per game), rebounding (6.3 rebounds per game), assists (nine), steals (eight) and blocks (two) during the three-game week.
 
Burton had 16 points in a 64-58 first round victory over Anderson (S.C.) Wednesday. Burton tallied 13 points each against Carson-Newman (66-49) and Catawba (65-41) as the balanced Bulldogs won their semi-final and championship games by an average of 20.5 points per game.
 
The West Charlotte High School product leads the Bulldogs in scoring (14.4 points per game), field goal percentage (47.8), assists (80), blocks (29) and steals (95). She is second on the team in rebounding (5.3 rebounds per game). Burton is ninth in the NCAA (and second in SAC) with her 3.4 steals per game.
 
Wingate sophomore guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) joined Burton on the All-SAC tournament team. Williams has saved her best for the stretch run, as she has scored double figures six times in the nine-game streak. In the same time frame, she is shooting a team-best 50 percent from the field (35-of-70). Williams had 16 points in the SAC title game victory over Catawba. She averages 10.3 points per game this season.
 
Bulldog senior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) averages 10.5 points per game for the 2011-12 Bulldogs. She led the way with her 16 points against Carson-Newman in the SAC semi-finals. Interestingly enough, Burton (16), Washington (16) and Williams (16) took one turn each leading Wingate in scoring during the SAC title run. Five Bulldogs average between 8.7 and 4.5 points per game, giving the blue-and-gold much balance.
 
Washington had 21 points in a huge February home victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. The 1000-point club member had 24 markers in a first-semester home triumph over Belmont Abbey. Last year, Washington led the Bulldogs and ranked ninth in the SAC with her 13.6 points per game. The 2009 SAC Freshman of the Year, Washington is a two-time All-SAC and NCCSIA All-State performer.
 
The sixth-seeded Barton Bulldogs are led by sophomore guard Nyeshea Willie (Virginia Beach, Va.) with her 15.2 points and 2.3 steals per game. As a team, Barton is averaging 71.7 points per game and holding opponents to 62.7 points a game. The BC Bulldogs advanced to the finals of the Conference Carolinas tournament before losing to champion Limestone College.
 
Wingate and Barton share five common 2011-12 opponents, including defending national champion Clayton State. The other shared foes are Belmont Abbey, Catawba, Erskine and Lander. Wingate is 4-3 against the group, with one victory each against every aforementioned team save Clayton State.
 
Like Wingate, Barton is battled tested. The BC Bulldogs are 5-1 against common opponents, with two victories over Belmont Abbey and one win each over Catawba, Erskine and Lander. Both Barton and Wingate earned neutral-site victories over the LU Bearcats. Barton also has two 2011-12 meetings with regional host USC Aiken.
 
On the national scene, Wingate leads the SAC with 12 appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament. Wingate has an overall NCAA tourney record of 14-11 with Elite Eight appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2008. Nelson remembers her first Bulldog season and the 2008 Elite Eight experience fondly, but she says one cannot compare the 2012 squad to its 2008 counterparts.
 
“Every team must find its own potential,” Nelson says. “In 2008, we were a Cinderella story…we floated under the radar…with very few injuries and little drama. This team is more battle-tested. They are warriors who have dealt with their fair share of adversity.”
 
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.
 
(Wingate University junior Reggie Jenkins contributed information to this article. A Human Services major, Jenkins hails from Charlotte, N.C. He serves as the official scorer for the Wingate women’s basketball team.)