Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University graduate student forward Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.) matched her career-high with 21 points and notched her 21st career double-double with a game-high 15 rebounds, leading the first-place Bulldogs to a 72-68 South Atlantic Conference home victory over Mars Hill University Saturday in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Winners of 11 in a row (and 13 straight conference games), the WU Bulldogs are 15-6 overall and 13-1 in the SAC. Mars Hill is 7-12 overall and 5-9 in the SAC.
 
Wingate sophomore guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) added 15 points on the strength of four-of-seven shooting from three-point land. The hosts hit seven-of-15 from downtown, with senior guard Kelli Bonner (Yadkinville, N.C.) nailing three-of-six trifectas. Bulldog junior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) had 12 points off the bench as the Wingate reserves outscored the Mars Hill substitutes 19-10.
 
Mars Hill junior guard Camille Glymph (Greenville, S.C.) led all scorers with 33 points. She hit 10-of-20 field goals and six-of-14 three-point field goal attempts, while leading the MHU rebounding brigade with eight caroms. Lion sophomore guard Paige Chavis (Lexington, N.C.) had 12 points, while freshman forward Raven Brown (Marietta, Ga.) contributed 10 points off the MHU bench. Brown hit five-of-seven shots from the floor.
 
"(For us) to not be at our best and still win is huge," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "Mars Hill is very talented. They do a great job of executing their offenses and getting Glymph in position to be effective. We did a much better job in the second half attacking the paint. Our ball protection was the best I can remember. Chantal's rebounding is always amazing to me. One can't measure her heart and effort."
 
The Lions led 33-24 on a lay-up by senior guard Katie Stevens (Pickering, Ohio) with 2:40 left in the first half. The nine-point advantage was Mars Hill's largest lead of the afternoon. The host Bulldogs scored the last seven points of the opening frame to cut the deficit to 33-31 at intermission. Dunbar had four of the seven points, while graduate student forward Andrea Bertrand (Midlothian, Va.) added an old-fashioned three-point play to the mix.
 
Glymph had 13 points in the first half, while Chavis contributed eight markers. The Lions shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) in the first 20 minutes. Dunbar had nine points and 10 rebounds in the first half. The Bulldogs managed only 27.5 percent shooting in the first half (11-of-40).
 
Tricoli started the second half with a lay-up on an assist from redshirt senior point guard Brittany Hill (Mechanicsville, Va.), tying the score for the third (and final) time at 33-33. McGee made a jumper on a Bonner dish two minutes later, giving the Bulldogs the lead for good at 35-33.
 
A Dunbar jumper in the paint put the hosts up 47-39 with 11:15 remaining. A Tricoli three-point field goal on an assist from Hill made the score 54-45 Wingate two minutes later. Mars Hill answered with a 9-1 run, cutting the deficit to 55-54 on a Brown inside bucket with six minutes left. Brown had six of the nine points, with Glymph added the other three markers with a three-point field goal.
 
McGee missed two free throws on the ensuing possession, giving the Lions a chance to take the lead. Mars Hill committed a turnover and McGee responded with back-to-back jumpers to put Wingate up 59-54 with 4:45 to play. The visitors never had the basketball again with a change to lead or tie. The Bulldogs led 70-60 with 1:22 left on a Dunbar hoop; the 10-point advantage was Wingate's largest of the day. Glymph scored eight points in the final 65 seconds to make the final margin four.
 
Wingate shot 60.7 percent in the second half (17-of-28) to finish the day at 41.2 percent (28-of-68). Mars Hill shot 52.2 percent in the second stanza (12-of-23) to finish the day at 49 percent (24-of-49). Glymph scored 20 points in the second half. Her 33-point, eight-rebound effort also included three steals, two assists and two blocked shots in 38 minutes played.
 
The Bulldogs won four-of-five specialty statistics categories. Most notably, Wingate turned 18 Mars Hill turnovers into 19 points. The Lions scored 11 points from nine Bulldog miscues. Wingate's 18 offensive rebounds led to 20 second-chance points.
 
Bonner posted nine points as a result of her three triples. Bertrand had seven points and seven rebounds, as Wingate won the battle of the boards by a slim 36-33 margin. Hill led all players with eight assists.
 
Wingate hosts Newberry Wednesday night (6 p.m.) to conclude a two-game home stand. The Mars Hill contest started a five-home-games-in-six-dates stretch for Wingate. The MHU Lions continue their road swing Wednesday, visiting local rival Brevard for a 6 p.m. contest.