Hickory, N.C.----Wingate University junior guard Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.) posted a career-high 17 points to lead the Bulldogs to an 84-34 South Atlantic Conference women's basketball victory over Lenoir-Rhyne University in Shuford Memorial Gymnasium Tuesday afternoon.
 
The contest was the SAC opener for both schools. Wingate evens its 2015-16 slate at 1-1 overall. The Bulldogs are 1-0 in the SAC. Lenoir-Rhyne falls to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the SAC. After a short Thanksgiving break, Wingate hosts UNC Pembroke Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.
 
Interestingly enough, Tomlinson's previous career-high point total was 13 in Wingate's 56-49 SAC triumph at Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014. Bulldog freshman point guard Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) had 14 points in only her second game in the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold.
 
"Today was a total team effort," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "Everyone played well. Alex Tomlinson once again was effective and efficient. Our bench did a great job coming in when we had foul trouble. Courtney Robinson did a fantastic job running the team. We did a tremendous job on the glass and on the defensive end."
 
For Lenoir-Rhyne, sophomore guard Justyce Swango (Virginia Beach, Va.) had eight points. Bear senior guard Jasmine Stafford (Memphis, Tenn.) added seven points. Lenoir-Rhyne shot 16.7 percent from the floor (11-of-66) and six percent from three-point land (one-of-16) Tuesday.
 
Wingate never trailed Tuesday. A lay-up by Bulldog senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) gave the visitors a 3-1 lead with 7:24 left in the first quarter. The Bears made only one field goal in the first quarter as the Bulldogs bolted to an 18-8 lead.
 
The Bulldogs led 34-18 at intermission, thanks to 48.4 percent shooting in the first half (15-of-31). Tomlinson led Wingate with 11 points. Robinson, freshman guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) and freshman guard/forward Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) had six first-half points each. Swango led the hosts with five points.
 
Wingate shot 57.6 percent after halftime (19-of-33) as the Bulldogs scored 50 points in the second half. A lay-up by sophomore center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) on an assist from Averette gave Wingate a 53-22 lead midway through the third quarter. A Tomlinson three-point field goal (0:39) concluded the third quarter scoring and gave the Bulldogs a 58-28 advantage.
 
A three-point field goal by freshman guard Taylor Helms (Monroe, N.C.) made the score 82-31 Wingate with two minutes remaining. The 51-point margin was the Bulldogs' largest lead of the afternoon. Fourteen Wingate student-athletes dressed out Tuesday with 13 players finding the scoring column.
 
The Bulldogs swept the specialty statistics categories. Wingate outscored Lenoir-Rhyne 50-14 in the paint, while holding a slim 14-10 margin in points off turnovers. The Bulldogs parlayed 15 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points. The Bears managed only six second-chance points from 14 offensive boards. The Wingate bench outscored the L-R reserves 40-11.
 
Wingate outrebounded Lenoir-Rhyne 59-30. Miscenko and Robinson had seven rebounds each to lead the Bulldogs. Tomlinson and Witherspoon pulled down six rebounds each. L-R junior forward Brooke Robinson (Vale, N.C.) had six rebounds to lead the Bears.
 
Averette, junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) and freshman forward Zasha Barrett (Monroe, N.C.) had eight points each for the visiting Bulldogs. Wingate shot 53.1 percent from the floor (34-of-64) Tuesday. Defensively, both Rumplasch and Miscenko blocked two shots each for Wingate.