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Wingate, N.C.----The Lenoir-Rhyne University women’s basketball team posted 43 bench points to take a 73-56 victory over Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference action in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. The L-R Bears (8-3 overall, 3-0 SAC) claim sole possession of first place in the SAC, while Wingate falls to 7-6 overall and 1-2 in the SAC.
 
Eleven players found the scoring column for the visiting Bears. L-R sophomore guard Jazmine Charles (Lexington, N.C.) led the Bears with 17 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Junior forward Nneka Awuruonye (Charlotte, N.C.) had 12 points and seven boards. Both Charles and Awuruonye served in a reserve role Wednesday. L-R freshman guard Jordan Hiatt (Mount Airy, N.C.) notched 11 points.
 
Wingate senior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) had 16 points and four assists to lead the Bulldogs. Junior forward Chantal Dunbar (Norfolk, Va.) recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. She also snatched a game-high six steals. Freshman forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) contributed 12 points for the hosts.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne took the lead 77 seconds into the contest and never relinquished the advantage. A lay-up by junior forward Whitney Brinkley (Asheville, N.C.) gave the Bears a 26-16 lead with 4:45 remaining in the first half. Lenoir-Rhyne pushed the edge to 11 on two free throws by junior guard Alexis Katt (Euharlee, Ga.) with 17 seconds on the clock. A Dunbar jumper at the halftime buzzer cut Wingate’s deficit to 32-23 as the teams headed to the locker room.

The Bulldogs started the second stanza with a 10-4 push to pull within three (36-33) at the 16:57 mark, thanks to a short jumper by Wollett. Wingate would get no closer, as Lenoir-Rhyne nudged the lead to 46-36 on a triple by Hiatt four minutes later. Two Wollett free throws made the score 46-40 L-R with 11:51 left, but the Bulldogs could not get over the mountain.
 
The Bears shot 48.2 percent from the floor (27-of-56), the highest field goal accuracy allowed by the Bulldogs this season. Lenoir-Rhyne outrebounded Wingate by a slim 39-38 margin, only the second team this year the Bulldogs have been on the short end of the rebounding total.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne had 40 points in the paint, compared to 26 for Wingate. The Bears converted 21 Bulldog turnovers into 25 points. Lenoir-Rhyne also committed 21 miscues, but Wingate could manage only 14 points off the Bear mistakes. The Bulldogs shot 32.8 percent from the floor (21-of-64). Wingate hit three three-point field goals, compared to four for Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
The Bears gave head coach Todd Starkey his first road victory at Cuddy Arena (in eight seasons). Lenoir-Rhyne has won only twice on Wingate’s current home court (in 27 years). Both teams hit the road Saturday. The Bulldogs visit Mars Hill, while the Bears make the short trip to Brevard. Both contests start at 2 p.m.

Newspaper Box Score
Lenoir-Rhyne vs Wingate
01/09/13 6 p.m. at Wingate, N.C.

LENOIR-RHYNE WOMEN 73, WINGATE 56
LENOIR-RHYNE (8-3 overall, 3-0 SAC)
Charles, Jazmine 5-14 4-4 17; Awuruonye, Nneka 6-8 0-0 12; Hiatt, Jordan 4-5 2-2 11; Brinkley, Whitney 4-7 0-1 8; Katt, Alexis 2-4 2-2 6; Laughter, Caroline 1-5 3-4 5; Bongiorno, Danielle 0-5 4-4 4; Mobley, Alisha 2-2 0-0 4; Phillips, Kierra 1-2 0-2 2; Mitchell, Ashia 1-3 0-0 2; Gust, Jenni 1-1 0-0 2; Jennings, Marissa 0-0 0-0 0; Christian, Brittany 0-0 0-0 0; Patton, Krystal 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-56 15-19 73.
WINGATE (7-6 overall, 1-2 SAC)
Wollett, Sarah 6-18 2-2 16; Dunbar, Chantal 4-11 7-11 15; McGee, Morgan 5-10 2-3 12; Burnick, Sarah 2-5 0-0 4; Bonner, Kelli 1-7 0-0 3; Logan, Tish 1-4 0-0 2; Williams, Janitsha 1-6 0-0 2; Boyd, Sharee 1-2 0-1 2; Boston, Brooklyn 0-0 0-0 0; Thompson, Jakari 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-64 11-17 56.
Lenoir-Rhyne..................   32   41  -   73
Wingate.......................   23   33  -   56
3-point goals--Lenoir-Rhyne 4-9 (Charles, Jazmine 3-7; Hiatt, Jordan 1-1; Bongiorno, Danielle 0-1), Wingate 3-14 (Wollett, Sarah 2-7; Bonner, Kelli 1-6; Williams, Janitsha 0-1). Fouled out--Lenoir-Rhyne-None, Wingate-Logan, Tish. Rebounds--Lenoir-Rhyne 39 (Charles, Jazmine 7; Awuruonye, Nneka 7), Wingate 38 (Dunbar, Chantal 11). Assists--Lenoir-Rhyne 15 (Laughter, Caroline 6), Wingate 11 (Wollett, Sarah 4; Bonner, Kelli 4). Total fouls--Lenoir-Rhyne 17, Wingate 19. Technical fouls--Lenoir-Rhyne-None, Wingate-None. A-325
SAC women's basketball, Cuddy Arena & Thomas Koontz Family Court
Wingate visits Mars Hill Saturday, Jan. 12 (2 p.m.)
Lenoir-Rhyne visits Brevard Saturday, Jan. 12 (2 p.m.)