Box Score
Hickory, N.C.----Lenoir-Rhyne University junior guard Jazmine Charles (Lexington, N.C.) scored a game-high 23 points as the Bears rallied for a 71-61 South Atlantic Conference women's basketball victory over Wingate University Wednesday night in Shuford Gymnasium on the L-R campus. Sophomore guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) led the visiting Bulldogs with a Wingate career-high 19 points (NCAA box score).

Wingate sees its seven-game winning streak snapped as the Bulldogs slip to 9-2 overall and 5-2 in the SAC. Lenoir-Rhyne improves to 9-3 overall and 4-3 in the SAC. The Bulldogs visit Lincoln Memorial University Saturday for a 6 p.m. league contest. The L-R Bears host SAC foe Tusculum College Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
The host Bears placed four players in double figures. Charles surpassed the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season. L-R senior forward Nneka Awuruonye (Charlotte, N.C.) added 12 points, while sophomore guard Jordan Hiatt (Mount Airy, N.C.) and freshman forward Morgan Cooper (Virginia Beach, Va.) contributed 10 points each.
 
Neely hit eight-of-11 field goals en route to her career night. The N.C. Central transfer hit one-of-two baskets from behind the three-point line. Neely had two rebounds, two assists and two steals to fill out her statistics ledger. Wingate senior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) had 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds in 39 minutes, while senior forward Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) added 11 points and eight boards.
 
Wingate led 33-32 at halftime as Neely and Williams contributed 10 and nine points, respectively. Three free throws by Williams gave the Bulldogs a 20-15 advantage with 8:48 to play in the first half. The five-point edge was Wingate's largest lead of the evening.
 
A Neely lay-up put the visitors up 29-24 with four minutes left in the opening frame. Charles made two free throws after a Hiatt triple to give the hosts a 30-29 edge with 69 ticks left on the clock. Wingate junior forward Brooklyn Boston (Lenoir, N.C.) and Neely answered with back-to-back baskets to make the score 33-30 Bulldogs. Charles added a jumper to finish the first-half scoring. She led the Bears with nine points in the first 20 minutes.
 
Charles started the second half where she ended the first, scoring a hoop on an assist from Cooper (19:41) to give the hosts the lead for good. Lenoir-Rhyne tallied the first nine points of the second stanza, taking a 41-33 lead on a Charles triple at the 17:13 mark. Charles had seven of the nine L-R points during the flurry.
 
Wingate responded with eight unanswered points, cutting the deficit to 43-41 on a Harris jumper at the 13:43 plateau. Neely had six of the eight markers for the visitors, but the Bulldogs would get no closer.
 
Two Cooper free throws made the score 55-46 Lenoir-Rhyne with 7:31 remaining in the contest. Wingate made another push, as Williams hit two free throws to slice the margin to 61-57 with three minutes left. The Bulldogs would make only one field goal down the stretch; Lenoir-Rhyne hit 10-of-12 free throws in the last two minutes to settle the final score.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne hit 21-of-52 field goals (40.4 percent), while Wingate made 21-of-60 attempts from the floor (35 percent). The Bears made five-of-11 from downtown, with Hiatt hitting two-of-three triples and Charles nailing two-of-four. Williams hit two three-point field goals for the visitors. Neely hit one-of-two trifectas Wednesday.
 
The L-R Bears hit 24-of-33 free throws (72.7 percent). The Bulldogs made 16-of-26 charity tosses (61.5 percent). The Bear bench outscored the Bulldog reserves 22-14. Wingate swept the other three specialty statistics categories: points in the paint (28-18), points off turnovers (16-14) and second-chance points (17-9). Neither team scored a fast-break point Wednesday.