HIGHLIGHTS

Wingate, N.C.----The visiting Shaw University Bears overcame an eight-point second half deficit Tuesday morning, prevailing 75-67 at Wingate University in NCAA Division II women's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. It was Future Bulldog Day at Wingate. The Bulldogs invited over 1,000 elementary school students from the area to the game. Tuesday's attendance was 1,179. Shaw improves to 5-3 overall, while Wingate falls to 4-5 on the season.

Verdine Warner had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Shaw attack. Micah Brooks added 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Tabatha Anderson contributed 12 points and five assists. Bryann Guyton had 10 points and seven boards for the Bears.

Sophomore guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) poured in a season-high 22 points, which ties a career high set in last year's SAC championship game. Tricoli knocked down six-of-13 shots from beyond the arc. Senior guard Kelli Bonner (Yadkinville, N.C.) added 15 points on five-of-11 shooting from three-point range. Graduate student Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.) contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds, while senior guard Brittany Hill (Mechanicsville, Va.) had eight points, nine assists and four steals for the Bulldogs.

A Tricoli triple gave the 'Dogs a 10-4 lead five minutes into the opening half. A Brooks three-point play tied it at 13, while a Warner bucket gave the Bears a two-point lead at the 10:47 mark. A Warner bucket a minute later made it 19-14, but Wingate answered with a 14-4 run over the next three minutes. Bonner started the spurt with a three, while Tricoli capped it with back-to-back triples, giving the Bulldogs a 28-23 lead with 6:56 to go in the half. A Warner bucket at the 3:25 mark cut the lead to one, but free throws from Hill and junior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) pushed the advantage to five. Brooks and Kaiya Coleman answered with buckets for the Bears in the final 75 seconds to cut Wingate's halftime lead to one at 34-33.

Two Bonner triples, along with a Tricoli three helped the Bulldogs build an eight-point lead four minutes into the second half. A Kaula Jacks layup, followed by a Brooks jumper cut the lead to one at 45-44 with 12:19 to go. Tricoli put the Bulldogs back on top by three with a triple at the 9:44 mark, but Shaw responded with a 6-0 run, taking a 55-52 lead on a Jonitta Wallace jumper at the 8:35 mark.

A Hill layup 50 seconds later gave the lead back to Wingate, but a Wallace jumper and two Warner free throws gave the Bears a four-point cushion. A Bonner triple cut the lead to one at the 4:49 mark, but another Warner bucket, followed by a big Anderson three gave Shaw a 67-61 lead with 1:42 remaining. Anderson knocked down five-of-six free throws to stretch the lead to seven with 49 seconds left. The Bulldogs would get no closer than five the rest of the way.

Shaw shot 47.6 percent from the field, hitting one-of-eight shots from three-point range (12.5 percent). Wingate shot 32.9 percent from the field, while hitting a season-high 11 threes on 39.3 percent shooting. Shaw had a 46-34 rebounding advantage, outscoring Wingate 44-22 in the paint. The Bulldogs converted 20 Shaw turnovers into 17 points.

Wingate is back in action Dec. 17, taking on eighth-ranked Pittsburg State (Kan.) in the Honolulu Holiday Tournament.