Box Score
Greenville, S.C.----Wingate University 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 South Atlantic Conference tournament championship game with a 77-73 victory over number 24 Lenoir-Rhyne University Sunday afternoon in Timmons Arena on the Furman University campus.
Wingate (24-5 overall) earns the league's automatic qualification to the NCAA Division II post-season tournament. The Bulldogs lead 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 senior guard
Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) added 12 points for the Bulldogs. 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.
Lenoir-Rhyne senior guard
Danielle Bongiorno (Wilmington, N.C.) led four Bears in double digits with 17 points. Senior forward
Nneka Awuruonye (Charlotte, N.C.) had 14 points, while junior guard
Jenni Gust (Colfax, Wis.) netted 13. Junior forward
Jazmine Charles (Lexington, N.C.) contributed 11 points for the number one seed Bears (24-6 overall).
Williams converted a steal into a fast-break lay-up to put the Bulldogs up 53-41 with 12:43 remaining. Charles started a 6-0 Lenoir-Rhyne run with her first two baskets of the contest (12:18, 11:27) as the Bears cut the deficit to 53-47 on a follow by senior forward
Kierra Phillips (Gaffney, S.C.) at the 10:53 mark.
The Bulldogs responded with six straight points to make the score 59-47 on a Williams inside hoop with 9:30 to play. Gust drained a three and converted a hoop in the paint to pull the Bears within seven (59-52) with 8:36 left.
Wingate junior forward
Brooklyn Boston (Lenoir, N.C.) made two free throws and Awuruonye answered with a lay-up before Williams hit a triple to stretch the Bulldog lead to 64-54. Sophomore forward
Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) made two free throws to push the Wingate margin back to 12 (66-54) with 5:55 left.
Charles made two inside hoops (5:31, 4:45) and senior guard
Brittany Christian (Raleigh, N.C.) converted a steal into a lay-up (4:23) to quickly slice the deficit in half. The Bulldogs built their lead to 74-65 on a Harris jumper with 2:17 to play.
The Bears got four points on one possession when Awuruonye made an old-fashioned three-point play and Charles hit one-of-two free throws following a Wingate technical foul at the 2:09 plateau. Tricoli made one of two free throws on the other end to nudge the margin to 75-69 with 1:43 left in regulation.
Charles hit two free throws (1:23) and the Bears got the ball back on a Bulldog turnover. Awuruonye made a follow shot to bring L-R within two at 75-73 with 43 seconds left. Wingate missed a jumper on the other end and Charles got the rebound. The Bears turned the ball back to the Bulldogs in the backcourt. Forced to foul, Lenoir-Rhyne sent Tricoli to the charity stripe. The All-SAC Freshman team member made both tries (4.7 seconds left) to settle the final margin.
Wingate bolted to a 6-0 lead out of the gates, thanks to two Harris baskets (19:06, 18:24) and a Williams fast-break lay-up (17:23). The L-R Bears answered with an 8-1 run to take an 8-7 lead on an old-fashioned three-point play by Christian at the 13:46.
Cooper hit an inside hoop to tie the score 20-20 with 6:08 to play in the opening frame. Wingate responded with a 9-2 run. Tricoli contributed seven of the nine points, including a three-pointer with 3:37 left to make the score 29-22 Wingate.
Tricoli had 16 points in the first half, while Harris contributed 11 markers. Tricoli made two triples in the opening frame. Bongiorno led the Bears with 13 points in the opening 20 minutes. Charles did not score in the first frame.
