Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team (19-4 overall, 15-4 SAC) returns to the friendly confines of Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court Saturday, hosting Lincoln Memorial University (13-10, 12-7) for 2 p.m. South Atlantic Conference contest. Following the game, the Bulldogs will celebrate Senior Day by honoring student-athletes Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.), Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) and student manager Q. Byrd (Greensboro, N.C.).
 
On Wednesday night, Wingate completed a three-road-triumphs-in-five-nights stretch with a thrilling 54-52 SAC overtime victory at Coker. Bulldog sophomore guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) hit a floater at the buzzer to lift the Bulldogs. Neely's steal with 3.9 seconds left in the extra frame put Wingate in a position to take the last shot.
 
The Bulldogs have won 10 of their last 11. Wingate is 11-1 in Cuddy Arena this season with two regular season home contests remaining. The Bulldogs tallied 91 points in their last home encounter, a 91-73 conquest of Anderson (S.C.) on Feb. 8. In Wingate's three recent road victories, the navy-blue-and-Vegas-gold-clad Bulldogs are averaging 55 points per game.
 
Harris leads the Bulldogs with 17.2 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game. She tops the SAC charts with her 11 double-doubles this season, including her 25-point, 14-rebound performance Wednesday at Coker. Williams averages 16.0 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. The 2013 All-SAC performer saw her double-figure scoring streak end at 28 games Wednesday, as the Cobras held the 1000-point club member to nine points.
 
Neely is second on the SAC charts in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.90) and third on the league lists in assists per game (4.3) and steals per game (2.23). On the season, Neely averages 7.7 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. Only Harris, Williams and sophomore forward Morgan McGee (8.0 points per game, Durham, N.C.) score more than Neely.
 
On Jan. 11, LMU shot a season-best 86.4 percent from the foul line, surviving a furious Wingate rally to take a 75-71 SAC victory at Tex Turner Arena. The host Railsplitters hit 19-of-22 from the charity stripe.
 
For LMU, junior guard Aisjah Roan (Louisville, Ky.) had 15 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Katrina Ottesen (Chandler, Ariz.) added 11 points, while senior guard/forward MaRanda Boddie (Springfield, Ohio) contributed eight points and a team-best nine rebounds.
 
Wingate placed four players in double digits on Jan. 11. Harris posted 19 points and 12 rebounds, both team bests. McGee had 17 points and seven rebounds. WU freshman guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) and Williams added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Wingate leads the SAC in scoring defense (60.0 points per game) and field goal percentage defense (35.8 percent). LMU allows opponents to shoot only 36.8 percent, second behind Wingate on the SAC charts. Roan leads the league in steals per game (2.35), while Boddie is third in blocked shots per game (1.78).
 
Roan is the only Railsplitter in double figures, as she averages 15.7 points per game. Junior forward Samantha Satterlee (Junction City, Kan.) posts 9.2 points per game, while Boddie contributes 8.9 points per game and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game.
 
The last time the two teams met in Wingate, the Bulldogs earned a 77-73 overtime triumph over the 'Splitters (Feb. 27, 2013). Wingate junior guard Kelli Bonner (Yadkinville, N.C.) led five players in double figures with her 17 points. She hit six-of-10 field goals and three-of-six from downtown. McGee had 14 points and seven rebounds. Boddie had 19 points, 11 rebounds, six blocked shots, three assists and two steals to lead the Railsplitters.
 
Wingate is ranked second in this week's NCAA Division II Southeast Regional poll. Ten teams are listed in this week's poll. Lenoir-Rhyne is first in the poll, followed by Wingate, North Georgia, Clayton State, Columbus State, Georgia College, Armstrong (Ga.), Belmont Abbey, Limestone and Lincoln Memorial.
 
Eight teams from the Southeast Region advance to the women's NCAA post-season tournament. Conference tournament winners from the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and the Conference Carolinas receive automatic qualification to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament.
 
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.