Box Score

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) celebrated Senior Day in style Saturday afternoon, scoring 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a convincing 82-50 victory over visiting Mars Hill College in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball action in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs outscored Mars Hill 44-18 in the second half en route to the victory, improving to 12-12 overall and 6-8 in the SAC. The Lions fall to 5-17 overall and 2-12 in the conference.

Wollett knocked down four-of-six shots from three-point range on Saturday, adding six assists and two steals. Junior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) added 15 points, six assists and six rebounds, while junior forward Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.) registered her 10th double-double of the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kelli Bonner (Yadkinville, N.C.) had 15 points, hitting five-of-seven shots from beyond the arc.

“Today was a great day,” head coach Ann Hancock says. “We celebrated our seniors and sent them out with a great farewell. Today was our best offensive performance of the year. I thought we played very good inside-outside basketball. Our good offensive work gave us the opportunity to shoot at a higher percentage. We had good shot selection and great effort. This was a nice win for us as we brought awareness to breast cancer through Play 4Kay.”

Sophomore forward Armeka Booker (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) had 12 points and five rebounds to lead the Mars Hill attack. Sophomore guard Ansley Ricker (Greeneville, Tenn.) added nine points for the Lions, while senior guard Kristen Metcalf (Black Mountain, N.C.) had eight points.

A jumper from sophomore forward Brooklyn Boston (Lenoir, N.C.) gave the Bulldogs a seven-point lead seven minutes into the first half. Mars Hill battled back, cutting it to two on a three-point play from senior center Katie Buckner (Canton, Ga.) with 11:20 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs used a 10-run to push the advantage to 13 three minutes later. Dunbar started it with a bucket, while Boner added a three. Williams capped it with a layup to make it 27-14.

The Lions cut the lead to nine with 5:53 to go on a jumper from freshman guard Taylor Tate (Chapel Hill, N.C.). Wingate pushed the lead back to 13 on a Dunbar jumper with 4:39 remaining. Mars Hill closed the half on an 11-4 run to cut the led to six at halftime. Junior guard Autumn Ward (Marion, N.C.) started it with a three, while Ricker added a three-point play to make it 38-32 at intermission.

The Bulldogs came out on fire in the second half, going on a 24-5 run in the first nine minutes. Bonner knocked down a triple on the first possession of the half, while a Williams three made it an 18-point game four minutes in. Wollett knocked down a pair of triples to push the advantage over 20, while a jumper from freshman forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) made it 62-37 with 11:21 to go.

Mars Hill would get no closer than 19 the rest of the way. Wingate closed the game on a 15-2 run to make the final margin 82-50. A pair of buckets from senior center Jecia Anderson (San Antonio, Texas) in the final minute capped the scoring on the afternoon.

Wingate shot 56 percent from the field, shooting 61.9 percent in the first half. The Bulldogs knocked down 11-of-17 shots from three-point range (64.7 percent), while going 15-for-16 from the free throw line (93.8 percent). Wingate set season highs for points, field goal percentage, three pointers made and assists. Mars Hill shot 39.6 percent from the field, shooting just 32 percent in the second half. The Lions were four-for-16 from beyond the arc (25 percent). Wingate converted 21 Mars Hill turnovers into 27 points.

Wingate returns to action Wednesday, hosting Anderson at 6 p.m. Mars Hill hosts Catawba Wednesday at 6 p.m.