Box Score
Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team shot 60 percent in the second half, rallying for an 80-68 South Atlantic Conference victory over visiting Tusculum College Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Bulldog senior forward Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) tallied a Wingate career-high 26 points while posting her seventh double-double of the season, thanks to a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
Wingate sweeps the season series with Tusculum, improving its record to 11-3 overall and 7-3 in the SAC. The TC Pioneers fall to 1-13 overall and 1-9 in the SAC. Wingate hits the road Wednesday, visiting Catawba College for a 6 p.m. tip-off.
 
"Today's game was a big win for us," Wingate head coach Ann Hancock says. "Tusculum played really well and is an extremely dangerous team. We started off slowly, but played much better in the second half."  
 
The Bulldogs hit 15-of-25 shots after intermission, turning a 33-31deficit into a 17-point advantage late in the second stanza. Three Wingate players hit double-figure points. Senior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) had 20 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Sharee Boyd (Charlotte, N.C.) contributed 13 points and eight boards off the Bulldog bench.
 
"We executed and got the shots we wanted in the second half," Hancock says. "I was really proud of our efforts to overcome a slow start."
 
TC senior guard Nequoiah Anderson (Washington, D.C.) recorded her second consecutive 20-point game against the Bulldogs. She also pulled down seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Shynese Whitener (Newton, N.C.) had 15 points for the visitors. Sophomore forward Kristen McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) had a game-high 14 rebounds for the Pioneers.

A short jumper by Tusculum junior guard Brianna Mitchell (Harrisonburg, Va.) tied the contest for the seventh (and final) time 51-51 with 9:47 remaining in the contest. Wingate answered with a 14-0 run over the next three minutes to put the game on ice. Harris scored seven points in a row during the flurry, turning a 56-51 edge into a 63-51 lead at the 7:11 mark. Williams completed the run with a jumper, making the score 65-51 Wingate with 6:41 to go.
 
Tusculum went five minutes without a field goal as Wingate built its advantage. A three-point field goal by freshman guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) gave the Bulldogs a 72-55 lead with four minutes remaining. The 17-point bulge was Wingate's largest of the evening. The Pioneers would get no closer than the final margin down the stretch.
 
The game featured nine lead changes with four in the first half and five in the second stanza. The Pioneers took a 33-31 lead to the halftime locker room, thanks to 11 first-half points from Whitener. Harris also recorded 11 points in the first 20 minutes.
 
Tusculum led 24-19 on an Anderson triple at the 5:37 plateau. Williams responded with a three-point field goal on the next trip and added a lay-up on the following possession to tie the festivities at 24-24 with 4:26 left. Wingate nudged its lead back to four, but Whitener completed the first half with an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Pioneers their 33-31 halftime edge.
 
Wingate outrebounded its opponent for the 12th time in 14 contests this year, recording a 41-35 rebounding edge. The Bulldogs shot 45.8 percent from the field (27-of-59), as Harris hit nine-of-11 shots and Williams knocked down seven-of-13 attempts. Tusculum managed only 37.1 percent shooting Saturday (23-of-62). Anderson hit six-of-nine from the floor and three-of-five from downtown.
 
Wingate sophomore guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) flirted with a double-double, dishing out a Bulldog career-high eight assists while scoring eight points. The play-making of Neely and her back-court mates helped Wingate compile a 42-28 advantage on points in the paint. The TC Pioneers outscored the Bulldogs 23-11 on second-chance points and 13-7 on fast-break opportunities.
 
The Bulldogs win their seventh home game in eight 2013-14 tries. They will look to avenge their only home loss this season at Catawba Wednesday. The Indians outlasted the Bulldogs 85-81 on Nov. 20. Tusculum returns home Wednesday to host mountain rival Carson-Newman University at 6 p.m.

Newspaper Box Score
Tusculum vs Wingate
01/18/14 2 p.m. at Wingate, N.C.

WINGATE WOMEN 80, TUSCULUM 68
TUSCULUM (1-13 overall, 1-9 SAC)
Anderson, Nequoiah 6-9 5-7 20; Whitener, Shynese 5-10 5-5 15; McMillion, Kristen 3-6 3-8 9; Burleson, Blakeley 3-11 1-1 8; Mitchell, Brianna 3-8 1-1 7; Coberly, Elise 2-3 0-0 5; Cutshaw, Maelyn 1-15 2-2 4; Hairston, Jessica 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 17-24 68.
WINGATE (11-3 overall, 7-3 SAC)
Harris, Kayla 9-11 8-14 26; Williams, Janitsha 7-13 4-4 20; Boyd, Sharee 3-9 7-8 13; Neely, Amber 4-8 0-0 8; McGee, Morgan 2-6 2-4 6; Tricoli, Shelby 1-6 1-2 4; Hudson, Alysia 1-2 1-1 3; Tomlinson, Alex 0-0 0-0 0; Boston, Brooklyn 0-0 0-0 0; DeBerry, Jasmine 0-1 0-0 0; Johnson, Janna 0-0 0-0 0; Bonner, Kelli 0-3 0-0 0; Walker, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 23-33 80.
Tusculum......................   33   35  -   68
Wingate.......................   31   49  -   80
3-point goals--Tusculum 5-16 (Anderson, Nequoiah 3-5; Burleson, Blakeley 1-4; Coberly, Elise 1-1; Mitchell, Brianna 0-1; Cutshaw, Maelyn 0-4;
Whitener, Shynese 0-1), Wingate 3-13 (Williams, Janitsha 2-3; Tricoli, Shelby 1-5; Neely, Amber 0-2; Bonner, Kelli 0-3). Fouled out--Tusculum-Mitchell, Brianna; McMillion, Kristen, Wingate-None. Rebounds--Tusculum 35 (McMillion, Kristen 14), Wingate 41 (Harris, Kayla 10). Assists--Tusculum 9 (Whitener, Shynese 3), Wingate 13 (Neely, Amber 8). Total fouls--Tusculum 25, Wingate 23. Technical fouls--Tusculum-None, Wingate-None. A-325
SAC women's basketball, Cuddy Arena, Wingate, N.C.
Wingate visits Catawba Wednesday, Jan. 22 (6 p.m.)
Tusculum hosts Carson-Newman Wednesday, Jan. 22 (6 p.m.)