Box Score
Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women’s basketball team celebrated its return to Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court Wednesday night in a big way, scoring a season-high 77 points in a 77-56 South Atlantic Conference triumph over Catawba College. The Bulldogs (10-9 overall, 4-5 SAC) tallied 45 first-half markers to outdistance the Catawba Indians (9-8 overall, 5-4 SAC).

Wingate had played four of its last five contests on the road. Bulldog senior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) and junior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) scored 16 points each for the hosts, while junior forward Chantal Dunbar (Norfolk, Va.) had a monster game with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Dunbar shares the SAC lead with her eight double-doubles this season.
 
Catawba sophomore guard Chloe Bully (Hannut, Belgium) tallied 16 points to lead the visiting Indians. Senior forward Taylor May (China Grove, N.C.) contributed 10 points and seven rebounds. Bully and May hit 11-of-23 shots; their nine teammates made 11-of-33 attempts from the floor.

“Tonight was a big victory for our program,” Wingate head coach Ann Hancock says. “I was really proud of our overall team effort. We played extremely well on both ends of the floor. Chantal had another huge performance on the glass.”

A Wollett jumper gave the Bulldogs a 57-30 bulge with 15:08 remaining in the contest. The 27-point advantage was Wingate’s largest of the evening and the season. The Bulldogs shot 46 percent in both halves, finishing the game on a 46.5 percent clip (33-of-71). Catawba hit 39.3 percent of its field goals Wednesday (22-of-56).
 
Wingate made only three turnovers in the first half, sprinting to a 45-27 advantage at intermission. Dunbar had a double-double at halftime with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Williams and Wollett had nine points each. Catawba senior forward Elizabeth Merritt (Lexington, N.C.) had eight first-half markers. Merritt had 19 points in the first meeting between the two teams; she scored one point in the second half Wednesday.
 
The Bulldogs made a supermarket sweep of the five specialty statistics categories Wednesday. Wingate outscored Catawba 50-32 in the paint and 19-7 off turnovers. The Bulldogs collected 20 offensive boards to tally 19 second-chance points. The Indians had nine caroms on their end for 10 second-chance points.
 
Wingate held a slim 11-9 edge in fast-break points. The Bulldog bench outscored Catawba’s reserves 15-7. WU sophomore forward Sarah Burnick (Charlotte, N.C.) worked hard for five points and six rebounds in her 13 minutes played. Sophomore guard Jasmine DeBerry (Charlotte, N.C.) and freshman guard Sharee Boyd (Charlotte, N.C.) added four points each off the Bulldog bench.
 
Wollett had a game-high eight assists as Wingate recorded a season-high 18 helpers. Williams and sophomore forward Brooklyn Boston (Lenoir, N.C.) added three assists each. Catawba junior center Antoinette McPhail (Timmonsville, S.C.) filled up her statistics ledger with nine points, four rebounds and a game-high five blocked shots.

“Sarah Wollett had one of her best games this season with eight assists and only one turnover,” Hancock says. “Brooklyn Boston made a big difference tonight…doing the little things…like taking charges.”
 
Both teams play home games Saturday. Wingate hosts Carson-Newman at 2 p.m. Catawba returns to Goodman Gymnasium to face Lincoln Memorial at the same time. Both the Bulldogs and the Indians are facing their Tennessee foes for the first time this season.
 
NOTES
 
Wingate University joined the 27th annual celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) at halftime of the Bulldog men’s basketball game tonight. Sponsored by the WU School of Sport Sciences, the theme for this year’s NGWSD celebration is “Girls in Sports, an Investment in the Future.” WU student-athletes from each team were escorted to the center court for recognition. Junior softball infielder Hayley Whitley (Monroe, N.C.) was recognized as Wingate University’s NGWSD Award winner.

Newspaper Box Score
Catawba vs Wingate
01/31/13 6 p.m. at Wingate, N.C.

WINGATE WOMEN 77, CATAWBA 56
CATAWBA (9-8 overall, 5-4 SAC)
Bully, Chloe 6-13 3-5 16; May, Taylor 5-10 0-0 10; Merritt, Elizabeth 3-5 3-4 9; McPhail, Antionette 3-5 2-2 9; Dixon, Janna 3-5 0-0 7; Ucinski, Emma 2-9 0-0 5; Martin, Lindsay 0-1 0-0 0; Clay, Mallary 0-4 0-0 0; Whitby, Vernae 0-1 0-0 0; Ciric, Jelena 0-1 0-0 0; Tamasauskaite, Greta 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 8-11 56.
WINGATE (10-9 overall, 4-5 SAC)
Wollett, Sarah 7-13 0-0 16; Williams, Janitsha 7-10 0-0 16; Dunbar, Chantal 7-14 1-3 15; Bonner, Kelli 3-6 1-2 9; Boston, Brooklyn 3-8 0-0 6; Burnick, Sarah 1-6 3-6 5; Boyd, Sharee 2-4 0-1 4; DeBerry, Jasmine 2-4 0-0 4; Morton, Sequoia 1-2 0-0 2; Thompson, Jakari 0-1 0-0 0; Anderson, Jecia 0-1 0-0 0; McGee, Morgan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 33-71 5-12 77.
Catawba.......................   27   29  -   56
Wingate.......................   45   32  -   77
3-point goals--Catawba 4-13 (Dixon, Janna 1-2; McPhail, Antionette 1-1;
Bully, Chloe 1-5; Ucinski, Emma 1-3; Clay, Mallary 0-2), Wingate 6-9
(Bonner, Kelli 2-4; Williams, Janitsha 2-2; Wollett, Sarah 2-2; Dunbar,
Chantal 0-1). Fouled out--Catawba-None, Wingate-None. Rebounds--Catawba 32 (May, Taylor 7), Wingate 46 (Dunbar, Chantal 15). Assists--Catawba 7 (Bully, Chloe 3), Wingate 18 (Wollett, Sarah 8). Total fouls--Catawba 11, Wingate 11. Technical fouls--Catawba-None, Wingate-None. A-527
SAC basketball, Cuddy Arena & Thomas Koontz Family Court, Wingate U.