Box Score
Wingate, N.C.----Four Wingate University student-athletes hit double figures, leading the Bulldogs to a 78-52 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament victory over Newberry College in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court Wednesday night. Wingate advances to Saturday's SAC semi-finals in Greenville, S.C., where they will face Anderson University at 8 p.m. in Furman's Timmons Arena.
 
Wingate senior forward Kayla Harris (Raleigh, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) had 14 points and nine boards, while sophomore center Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) and freshman guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) had 13 points each.
 
For Newberry, senior guard/forward Tasia Holdorf (Anchorage, Alaska) had 21 points. Junior center Haylee Lepaio (Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia) had 13 points and 14 rebounds, while senior guard/forward Ellie Gleeson (Albury, New South Wales, Australia) contributed 12 points and seven assists.

"Tonight was a tremendous defensive and rebounding effort in the second half," Wingate head coach Ann Hancock says. "We started out a little bit sluggish, but the 15-3 run to start the second half gave us some confidence and built momentum." 
 
Wingate started the second half with a 15-3 run, taking a 44-31 lead on a Harris jumper with 16:41 to play. Harris and Tricoli had six points each during the flurry, while McGee chipped in the other three markers. The Wolves cut the deficit to nine, thanks to two free throws by junior guard Zara Pearson (Echuca, Victoria, Australia) and a jumper by Lepaio. The Lepaio field goal made the score 44-35 Wingate with 13:48 left. Newberry would get no closer.
 
Two McGee free throws, a Williams triple and a Harris fast-break lay-up pushed Wingate's margin to 51-35 with 12:17 remaining. After a tough first half, the Bulldogs shot 44.4 percent after intermission (16-of-36). The Wolves managed to shoot 33.3 percent (nine-of-27) in the second half.
 
The Bulldogs led 29-28 at intermission, as eight different Wingate players found the scoring column. The opening 20 minutes featured six tie scores and eight lead changes. Williams had eight points to lead the hosts, while Holdorf had 16 points to pace the Wolves. Lepaio shot only two times in the first half, hitting one field goal for two points.
 
After Newberry won the first half rebounding battle 26-18, Wingate rallied to take a 45-42 rebounding edge. "We talked about rebounding all week," Hancock says. "At each timeout, we were cutting into their rebounding advantage." 
 
"We also did an outstanding job of getting to the free throw line and converting," Hancock says. "Newberry has two of the best players in the league. They are very difficult to defend, but I thought we defended them the way we wanted to in the second half.  Holdorf got out to a quick start and was on fire.  Janitsha and Shelby limited her opportunities in the second half, which was big."   
 
The Bulldogs hit 26-of-35 free throws (74.3 percent), while the Wolves converted 12-of-15 charity tosses (80 percent). Wingate entered the game shooting 69.2 percent from the foul line (391-of-565).
 
Wingate outscored Newberry 42-24 on points in the paint. The Bulldogs converted 17 Wolves turnovers into 17 points. Wingate had 12 steals, with five players recording two thefts each. Bulldog sophomore guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) had seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in 30 minutes of playing time.
 
"I'm proud of the players and happy for them to advance in the tournament," Hancock says. "They have worked extremely hard to have this opportunity."