Hickory, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team (24-5 overall) begins NCAA Division II Southeast Region play Friday, facing Belmont Abbey College (21-8 overall) at Lenoir-Rhyne University's Shuford Memorial Gymnasium. Tip-off is slated for 12 noon. The Bulldogs are the number three seed, while the Crusaders are the number six seed (live video, live statistics).
 
Wingate leads the SAC with 12 appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament. Wingate has an overall NCAA tourney record of 14-12 with Elite Eight appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2008. The Bulldogs have won 11 SAC regular season crowns and seven Food Lion SAC tournament championships. Wingate won the SAC regular season and tournament titles this year.
 
"For coaches and players, March Madness is what we have been working towards all season long," Wingate head coach Ann Hancock says. "We are looking forward to playing Belmont Abbey. They are playing with much confidence following a great season. We will need tremendous defensive effort to stop their inside-and-out combination. We have had good practices leading up to the game and hope to use the momentum gained at the South Atlantic Conference championship."
 
On Sunday, Wingate senior forward Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) had 27 points and eight rebounds and freshman guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) posted a career-high 22 points as the Bulldogs won the Food Lion SAC tournament championship game with a 77-73 victory over number 24 Lenoir-Rhyne University in Timmons Arena on the Furman University campus.
 
Bulldog senior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) added 12 points for the victors. Both Harris and Williams earn spots on the All-Tournament team, with Harris receiving tournament MVP honors. Harris had 68 points and 31 rebounds in three Food Lion SAC tournament games.
 
On Thursday, Harris and Williams were named to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region teams. Harris is a first team selection, while Williams earns second team distinction. Wingate is the only Southeast Region school with two honorees.
 
A first team All-SAC performer, Harris leads Wingate in scoring (17.4), rebounding (9.4), field goal percentage (50.0) and double-doubles (15). She is the only Bulldog to start 29 of 29 games. Her 27-point effort in Wingate's 77-73 SAC title game victory over Lenoir-Rhyne was her 10th time scoring 20 or more points this season. Wingate is 9-1 overall when Harris hits 20-plus points. Nine of her 10 20-point (or more) efforts have been against SAC competition.
 
Williams is a two-time All-SAC performer. She averages 15.5 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. She has four double-doubles this year, leading Wingate to a victory in three of the four contests. She has tallied 20 or more points five times. Wingate is 4-1 overall when Williams hits 20-plus points. Either Williams or Harris (or both) have been Wingate's leading scorer in 26 of the team's 29 games this season.
 
A strong SAC tournament helped Tricoli boost her scoring average to 8.0 points per game. Sophomore point guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) and sophomore forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) average 7.7 points per game. Neely fills out her statistical ledger with 5.1 rebounds per game, 4.3 assists per game and 2.3 steals per game. Both Neely and Williams have started 28 of Wingate's 29 games.
 
Wingate and Belmont Abbey have played once this season. On Nov. 30, Williams had 19 points and six rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to a victory over the Crusaders in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Williams hit a game-high four three-point field goals in the victory.
 
McGee had 11 points and five rebounds, while Neely recorded her first Wingate double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Neely posted team-high totals of five assists and three steals.
 
For Belmont Abbey, junior forward McKenzie Owen (Burlington, N.C.) had 17 points. Crusader sophomore guard Morgan Midkiff (Mount Airy, N.C.) contributed 16 points, six assists and four rebounds, while senior forward Melisa Foures (Kernersville, N.C.) had a team-high eight rebounds.
                                    
Three players average double figures for the Crusaders. Owen tops the BAC charts with 17.9 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. Midkiff averages 15.6 points per game, while senior guard Kelsey Long (Pilot Mountain, N.C.) contributes 10.2 points per game.
 
THIS AND THAT: The Bulldogs and the Crusaders have two common opponents: Lenoir-Rhyne and Lees-McRae. Wingate is 2-1 against the Bears and 1-0 against the L-MC Bobcats. Belmont Abbey swept its season series with Lees-McRae and lost its only game against Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
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.