Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team begins the second half of the 2013-14 South Atlantic Conference schedule Saturday, hosting Brevard College for Alumni Day in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court (2 p.m. tip-off). The contest is Wingate's 12th of 22 league games this year. The Bulldogs are 12-3 overall and 8-3 in the SAC. The BC Tornados are 5-10 overall and 4-7 in the SAC.
 
"Tomorrow is an exciting day for us for several reasons," Wingate head coach Ann Hancock says. "We are thrilled it is Alumni Day…being able to connect the past with the present is always a special part of our program."
 
The Bulldogs play the next three games in the friendly confines of Cuddy Arena, where Wingate is 7-1 overall this year. On Wednesday night, WU seniors Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) and Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) combined for 40 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to a 71-53 SAC victory over Catawba in Goodman Gymnasium. Harris had 24 points and eight rebounds, while Williams posted 16 points and six boards.
 
In the first half Wednesday, Catawba's five starters combined to shoot one-of-25 from the floor as Wingate built a 27-13 advantage. The host Indians finished the night shooting a frigid 28.4 percent from the floor (19-of-67). Wingate is 12-0 overall this season when holding its opponent below 40 percent field goal shooting.
 
Wingate leads the SAC in scoring defense, allowing 59.9 points per game. In addition, the Bulldogs top the league charts in field goal percentage defense (34.2 percent) and three-point field goal percentage defense (26.6 percent). Wingate's positive 10.1 scoring margin is also first in the SAC. The Bulldogs score exactly 70.0 points per game.
 
Harris is the reigning SAC Player of the Week. She leads the Bulldogs in scoring (16.3 points per game), rebounding (8.9 rebounds per game) and field goal percentage (50.3 percent). The USC Aiken transfer has 50 points in her last two games. In SAC play, her numbers include 18 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game and a 53.1 field goal percentage.
 
Williams has scored double figures in 21 consecutive games, dating to her junior season. The 2013 All-SAC performer averages 15.9 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. Williams leads the Bulldogs with her 23 three-point field goals. In SAC contests, she contributes 16 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game.
 
Bulldog sophomore forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) averages 9.0 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) chips in 7.9 points per game, while sophomore point guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) posts 7.8 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and a team-best 4.1 assists per game.
 
Neely leads the SAC with her 2.14 assist-to-turnover ratio. She has 62 assists and only 29 turnovers. Wingate has two SAC individual category leaders, as Harris is first on the league list with seven double-doubles. Six of her seven double-doubles have occurred in league play.
 
Brevard defeated Anderson (S.C.) 78-73 Wednesday, as freshman guard Madison Lenox (Raleigh, N.C.) led the way with her 23 points. Classmate Lynsey Crisp (Robbinsville, N.C.) had 19 points, while sophomore forward Shelby Wolfe (Pittsboro, N.C.) contributed 17 points and seven rebounds. The host Tornados shot 51.1 percent from the floor (24-of-47) and 55.6 percent from downtown (10-of-18).
 
Lennox leads the BC team with 12.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Katie Williams (Robbinsville, N.C.) and Wolfe add 12.6 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. Wolfe is the Tornados' leading rebounder with 6.4 caroms per contest. Brevard is not afraid to hoist a three-point field goal attempt, as the Tornados have tried 281 triples this year. By contrast, Wingate has attempted 217 three-point field goals.
 
"Brevard is playing really well and coming off a huge win against Anderson," Hancock says. "They are impressive because they are such good shooters from the three-point line as well as the free throw line. We will need to have an outstanding defensive effort to contest their shooters without fouling."
 
The teams split two games last year, with each host claiming victory. Williams had a season-high 26 points in Wingate's 64-59 triumph (Jan. 19, 2013). Brevard netted a season-best 80 points in an 80-67 victory (Feb. 23). Sophomore guard/forward Tuccoa Brackett (Marion, N.C.) and junior guard/forward Taylor Hiatt (Mount Airy, N.C.) had 22 and 20 points, respectively, for the hosts. Hiatt's output was a career-high.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 8th "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,000 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past seven years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000's with 59 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 59 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 68 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.