Box Score
Jefferson City, Tenn.----The Carson-Newman College women’s basketball team rallied for a 56-50 South Atlantic Conference victory over Wingate University Saturday afternoon in Holt Field House. The C-N Eagles (15-10 overall, 9-9 SAC) shot 53.8 percent from the floor in the second half. Wingate (13-15 overall, 7-11 SAC) led by nine at halftime before the hosts mounted their comeback.
 
Carson-Newman junior forward Shyra Clark (Cleveland, Tenn.) had 14 points off the bench to lead the Eagles. Senior forward Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) and freshman guard Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) notched 12 points each. James filled up her statistics ledger with five rebounds, three blocks and three steals in her final appearance at Holt Fieldhouse.
 
Wingate junior forward Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.) recorded her SAC-best 13th double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Dunbar is the only SAC player to average a double-double this year. Bulldog junior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) added 13 points, while freshman forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.
 
Wingate started hot, taking a 12-2 lead on two Dunbar free throws at the 14:25 mark. The Bulldogs led 18-8 on a lay-up by Williams with 7:47 remaining. Dunbar’s bucket gave Wingate its biggest lead 36 seconds later. Five different Wingate players contributed points to the opening 20-8 run. Dunbar and senior guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) posted six points each, while McGee made two field goals. Both Wollett hoops were three-point baskets.
 
Carson-Newman crept closer, scoring seven unanswered points to make the score 20-15 on a Clark fast-break basket at the 4:48 plateau. Clark tallied four of the seven points, with James collecting the other three. Wingate led 26-17 at intermission, as Dunbar led the way with eight points. McGee and Wollett had six points each. James led the Eagles with seven markers.
 
Williams hit a jumper to start the second half (19:33), giving the Bulldogs a 28-17 advantage. Carson-Newman responded with 17-5 run to take a 34-33 lead on a lay-up by junior guard Chante’ Markus (Hummelstown, Pa.) with exactly 15 minutes to play. The Eagles would never trail again.
 
A Williams free throw tied the game at 36-36 four minutes later. C-N freshman guard Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.) hit a short jumper and Dunbar converted two free throws to tie the contest for the final time (38-38) at the 10:11 mark.
 
Clark (four points) and James (two points) engineered a 6-0 flurry to give the Eagles a 44-38 lead with 6:25 left in the contest. Wingate pulled within two points twice in the waning moments. McGee hit a jumper to make the score 49-47 with 2:45 remaining. After a Carson-Newman turnover, Wingate had a chance to tie or take the lead. The Bulldogs turned the ball over and the Eagles gradually pulled away.
 
Wingate made only one field goal in the final two minutes. James hit a lay-up at the shot-clock buzzer (1:04) to give the hosts a 52-47 lead. Burstrom and Clark were both two-for-two at the foul line in the last 43 seconds, giving Carson-Newman a cushion.
 
The Eagles hit 14-of-26 field goals (53.8 percent) after halftime. Carson-Newman managed only 24 percent (six-of-25) in the opening 20 minutes. On the afternoon, C-N hit 39.2 percent from the floor (20-of-51). Wingate shot 45.8 percent (11-of-24) in the first half and finished the day converting 38.5 percent (20-of-52) of its field goals.
 
Wingate outrebounded Carson-Newman 34-32. Three Eagles had five rebounds each. Carson-Newman turned 19 Wingate turnovers into 21 points. The Bulldogs scored 16 points off 15 C-N miscues. The Carson-Newman bench outscored Wingate’s reserves 22-15.
 
Wingate will play on the road Wednesday in the first round of the Food Lion SAC tournament. The Bulldogs will visit either Anderson (S.C.) or Lenoir-Rhyne, pending the outcome of the Lincoln Memorial-Catawba game tonight at 6 p.m. The C-N Eagles are the number five seed; they will visit either Newberry or Catawba.

Newspaper Box Score
Wingate vs Carson-Newman
03/02/13 2 p.m. at Jefferson City, Tenn.

CARSON-NEWMAN WOMEN 56, WINGATE 50
WINGATE (13-15 overall, 7-11 SAC)
Dunbar, Chantal 5-9 6-7 16; Williams, Janitsha 6-15 1-2 13; McGee, Morgan 5-14 1-2 11; Wollett, Sarah 2-4 0-2 6; Thompson, Jakari 2-3 0-0 4; DeBerry, Jasmine 0-0 0-0 0; Boston, Brooklyn 0-0 0-0 0; Boyd, Sharee 0-2 0-1 0; Logan, Tish 0-2 0-0 0; Bonner, Kelli 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 8-14 50.
CARSON-NEWMAN (15-10 overall, 9-9 SAC)
Clark, Shyra 5-12 4-5 14; James, Nikki 4-7 4-6 12; Burstrom, Tatum 3-10 4-4 12; McLaughlin, Jai Jai 3-4 2-2 8; Miller, Lacy 3-8 0-0 6; Markus, Chante 1-5 0-1 2; Miles, Courdne 1-3 0-3 2; Coffelt, Haley 0-0 0-0 0; Peacher, Lashawnda 0-0 0-0 0; Moody, Whitney 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-51 14-21 56.
Wingate.......................   26   24  -   50
Carson-Newman.................   17   39  -   56
3-point goals--Wingate 2-5 (Wollett, Sarah 2-2; Williams, Janitsha 0-1; Bonner, Kelli 0-2), Carson-Newman 2-15 (Burstrom, Tatum 2-6; McLaughlin, Jai Jai 0-1; Miller, Lacy 0-2; Markus, Chante 0-3; Moody, Whitney 0-1; Clark, Shyra 0-2). Fouled out--Wingate-None, Carson-Newman-None. Rebounds—Wingate 34 (Dunbar, Chantal 11), Carson-Newman 32 (James, Nikki 5; Clark, Shyra 5; Miles, Courdne 5). Assists--Wingate 7 (Bonner, Kelli 4), Carson-Newman 10 (Miller, Lacy 4). Total fouls--Wingate 17, Carson-Newman 17. Technical fouls--Wingate-None, Carson-Newman-None. A-575
SAC women's basketball, Holt Fieldhouse, Carson-Newman College
Both teams advance to the Food Lion SAC tournament March 6, 2013