Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team (19-5 overall, 15-5 SAC) plays its final regular season home game Wednesday, hosting Newberry College (15-9 overall, 11-9 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference action. The contest is scheduled to tip at 6 p.m. in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court.
 
Both teams will look to right the ship after Saturday league setbacks. Wingate shot a season-low 26.5 percent from the field Saturday afternoon, dropping a 59-56 contest to Lincoln Memorial University. The visiting Railsplitters never trailed in the second half.
 
Senior guard Janitsha Williams had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Wingate attack. Senior forward Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) added 11 points and nine rebounds, while freshman guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) had 10 points for the Bulldogs.
 
Newberry dropped a 65-56 decision at Mars Hill Saturday afternoon. Wolves senior guard/forward Tasia Holdorf (Anchorage, Alaska) posted 25 points, while junior center
junior center Haylee Lepaio (Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia) had 18 points and 12 rebounds. The remainder of the Newberry roster scored 13 points.
 
On Feb. 5, Newberry concluded the game with an 18-9 run to take a 66-55 victory over visiting number 24 Wingate in Eleazer Arena. Holdorf led all scorers with 23 points. She hit eight-of-13 field goals and three-of-four from downtown. Lepaio had 18 points and 15 rebounds, while senior guard/forward Ellie Gleeson (Albury, New South Wales, Australia) added 11 points.
 
Harris leads Wingate and the SAC in field goal percentage (51.7) and double-doubles (11). She is first on the Bulldog team list in scoring (16.9 points per game) and rebounding (9.1 rebounds per game). Harris is fifth in scoring and third in rebounding on the SAC statistical charts.
 
Williams averages 16.0 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs, second to Harris on Wingate's team charts. The 2013 All-SAC performer is fourth in the SAC in rebounding, fifth in free throw percentage (84.1), sixth in points per game and eighth in field goal percentage (39.5). Both Williams (16.1 points, 8.0 rebounds) and Harris (18 points, 9.7 rebounds) step up their games in SAC play.
 
Lepaio paces the Wolves with her 19 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game averages. She dropped a career-high 40 points on Queens University of Charlotte Wednesday, Feb. 19. Holdorf posts 15.4 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game, both second among Newberry's active players. She had 27 points each in victories over Voorhees (Dec.10) and Tusculum (Feb. 15).
 
THIS AND THAT: Wingate's Saturday loss was only the team's second home setback this season. Wingate is 11-2 in Cuddy Arena. Newberry is an even 6-6 on the road this year; the Wolves have lost their last three road contests. The Newberry roster features six student-athletes from Australia; Holdorf hails from Anchorage, Alaska.
 
Wingate is tied for first place in the league standings with two SAC regular season games remaining. The Bulldogs share the top spot with Lenoir-Rhyne (20-5 overall, 15-5 SAC).
Wingate completes its 2013-14 regular season at Brevard Saturday (2 p.m.). Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Coker Wednesday and visits Mars Hill Saturday.
 
The Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament begins Wednesday, March 5 with first-round games at campus sites. The top eight teams make the league tournament. The SAC final four is slated for March 8-9 in Greenville, S.C. Furman University hosts the final four in Timmons Arena.
 
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.