Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University post players
Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) and
Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.) combined for 44 points and 21 rebounds, boosting the Bulldogs to an 87-65 South Atlantic Conference victory over Tusculum College Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Wingate wins its seventh straight contest, improving to 11-6 overall and 9-1 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have won nine consecutive SAC games. Tusculum slips to 3-10 overall and 3-7 in the SAC.
McGee had a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds. Dunbar posted her 19th career double-double with 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Wingate sophomore guard
Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) added 15 points on the strength of a game-high three three-point field goals. Tusculum senior forward
Rainey Story (Greeneville, Tenn.) led the visiting Pioneers with 12 points. Two teammates notched 11 points each.
"Today was a total team effort," Wingate head women's basketball coach
Ann Hancock says. "When you work hard and play as a team, good things happen. It was one of our best rebounding efforts on the season. Our post players played extremely well both offensively and defensively. It was nice to get everyone in the game to play some extended minutes. We were efficient offensively, converting open baskets when we had the opportunity. It is always good when we are positive in assist-to-turnover ratio."
With the game tied 13-13 with 12:02 to play in the first half, Wingate went on a 13-0 run over the next 2:04 to take 26-13 lead and never trailed again. Fittingly, the Wingate spurt was led by McGee and Dunbar, who combined for nine points and four rebounds during the Bulldog run. Sophomore guard
Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.) added a basket and three assists during the flurry.
Tusculum trimmed the Wingate lead to six points at 28-22 with 8:08 to play in the half, but Wingate scored 21 of the game's next 29 points to take an 18-point halftime lead at 49-31. The Pioneers would get no closer than 16 in the second half. The Bulldogs led 81-50 on two McGee free throws with 5:26 to play. The 31-point lead was Wingate's largest of the afternoon.
Wingate outrebounded Tusculum 50-36 and limited the Pioneers to 36.8 percent field goal shooting (21-of-57). The Bulldogs hit 43.9 percent of their shots from the floor (29-of-66). Tomlinson had five points, seven rebounds, five assists and one blocked shot. Wingate redshirt senior point guard
Brittany Hill (Mechanicsville, Va.) had a game-high seven assists. She filled out her statistics ledger with six points, three steals and one blocked shot.
Tusculum sophomore forward
Jessica Hairston (Spotsylvania, Va.) and freshman forward
Kristen Atwell (Wytheville, Va.) had 11 points each for the visitors. The Pioneers shot 34 free throws (making 21), while the Bulldogs shot 30 charity tosses (hitting 24). The two teams combined for 51 fouls with one disqualification each.
On Wednesday, the Bulldogs will look to avenge their only conference loss of the season when they host Catawba at 6 p.m. On Nov. 19, Catawba (9-6 overall, 6-4 SAC) defeated visiting Wingate 67-55 in the SAC opener for both teams. Tusculum visits Carson-Newman Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
