Box Score  

Greenwood, S.C.----Wingate University sophomore guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) had 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds to lead the Bulldogs past the Bearcats of Lander University 74-67 in NCAA Division II women's basketball action Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs move to 2-0 on the young season, while Lander falls to 2-2.

Neely knocked down three-of-four shots from three-point range on the afternoon, while also going four-for-four from the free throw line. Senior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) had a game-high 17 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists, while senior forward Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) had 11 points and six rebounds.

Kayla West led the Lander attack with 19 points and four assists, while Ty'hesha Reynolds added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Alexis Armstrong contributed 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Bearcats.

The Bulldogs came out hot, jumping out to a 17-6 lead 4:13 into the contest. Neely had six points in the early flurry, while Williams added five points. Lander fought back, cutting the lead to two when a West jumper made it 19-17 with nine minutes remaining in the opening half. Wingate pushed the lead back to five on a bucket from sophomore forward Sharee Boyd (Charlotte, N.C.), but Lander answered with a 6-0 run to take a 24-23 lead on a free throw from Reynolds with 5:25 remaining.

The Bulldogs closed the half on a 17-7 run to take a nine-point advantage at halftime. Junior forward Brooklyn Boston (Lenoir, N.C.) got it started with a three-point play, while buckets from Harris and Williams pushed the lead to nine. A Harris jumper at the 2:04 mark gave the 'Dogs a 39-28 lead. Wingate would go on to take a 42-33 advantage into the locker room.

A triple and two free throws from Neely put the Bulldogs on top by 15 four minutes into the second half. Lander again would not go away, getting back to within five when a three from West made it 53-48 with 9:45 to go. The 'Dogs pushed the lead back to double digits on a triple from junior guard Kelli Bonner (Yadkinville, N.C.), while jumpers from Williams and Harris made it 64-50 with 5:53 left in the second half.

A West three and Armstrong bucket got the Bearcats back to within six with 1:36 remaining. Williams and Neely made six consecutive free throws to push the advantage to 10 with 52 seconds to go. Reynolds knocked down a jumper to cut it back to eight, but a Neely layup with 15 seconds to go put it away.

Wingate shot 45.3 percent from the field, knocking down seven-of-12 shots from three-point range (58.3 percent). The 'Dogs held Lander to 30.9 percent shooting, with the Bearcats going five-for-17 from beyond the arc (29.4 percent). Wingate held a 44-40 rebounding advantage, converting 10 Lander turnovers into 12 points.

The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, opening conference play at home against Catawba at 6 p.m.