Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) had a season-high 26 points to lead the Bulldogs past the visiting Brevard College Tornados 64-59 in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 9-7 overall and 3-3 in the SAC, while Brevard falls to 4-10 overall and 2-4 in the conference. 

Williams hit 10-of-15 shots from the field on the afternoon, adding seven rebounds while knocking down two-of-four shots from beyond the arc. Freshman forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) added 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. 

Four of Brevard’s five starters accounted for 58 of the Tornados’ 59 points. Freshman forward Shelby Wolfe (Pittsboro, N.C.) led the way with 17 points, while freshman guard Tuccoa Brackett (Marion, N.C.) had 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Michaela Watkins (Forest City, N.C.) had 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals, while senior guard Tempestt Mack (Albemarle, N.C.) had 13 points and 11 boards for the Tornados. 

Wingate used a 14-3 run to take a 23-11 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half. Wollett got it started with a layup, while Williams had six points in the flurry. A layup from Wolfe with five minutes remaining trimmed the lead to nine, but a McGee layup and a jumper from sophomore forward Sarah Burnick (Matthews, N.C.) pushed the lead back to 13. A jumper from Brackett trimmed the Wingate advantage to 31-20 at halftime. 

Mack buried a triple to get the Tornados to within eight early in the second half, but layups from Wollett and Williams pushed the lead back to 13 at 40-27. A jumper from Wolfe, followed by a Mack triple and Brackett layup got the Tornados to within two at 47-45 with 8:25 remaining. 

Watkins knocked down a pair of free throws to tie it at 51 with 5:57 to go. Wollett knocked down a big jumper, then buried a three on the next possession to give Wingate a 56-51 lead with 3:19 remaining. A layup from Watkins, along with a Watkins steal and Wolfe layup got the Tornados back within two with 36 seconds to go. The Bulldogs missed the front end of a one-and-one, but McGee got the rebound. Williams hit two free throws with 15 seconds left, while a Brevard turnover on the other end secured the Wingate victory. 

The Bulldogs shot 44.3 percent from the field on the afternoon, shooting 56.5 percent in the second half. Wingate hit four-of-12 shots from three-point range (33.3 percent). Brevard shot 39.6 percent on the day, hitting three-of-14 shots from beyond the arc (21.4 percent). The Bulldogs dominated the boards, out-rebounding Brevard 45-28 while piling up 17 second chance points, compared to Brevard’s four. Wingate converted 19 Tornado turnovers into 18 points. 

Wingate returns to action Wednesday, traveling to Anderson for a 6 p.m. start. The Tornados host Newberry Wednesday at 6 p.m.