Women's Basketball | 12/12/2015 6:01:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team (3-2 overall, 2-1 SAC) concludes its pre-Christmas home schedule Sunday, hosting Tusculum College (4-2 overall, 2-1 SAC) for a 2 p.m. afternoon matinee. The Wingate University Sports Network will provide a live video stream via its partnership with ESPN3 (live video, live statistics).
 
Both teams look to rebound from SAC setbacks earlier this week. Wingate dropped a 67-50 decision to Newberry Tuesday afternoon. The visiting Wolves hit 11-of-16 three-point field goals in the first half (68.8 percent). Tusculum and Anderson (S.C.) traded the lead 12 times before the number 16 Trojans prevailed 59-56 Wednesday in Greeneville, Tenn.

"Tusculum is playing really well right now," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "They use their personnel extremely well to put themselves in positions to use their strengths. We will need strong defensive and rebounding efforts to give ourselves a chance."
 
Wingate freshman guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) led the Bulldogs with 10 points and four steals Tuesday. Bulldog junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) and freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) contributed eight points each. The hosts hit only six-of-20 field goals (30 percent) in the pivotal first half as Newberry built a 49-17 advantage.
 
Tusculum senior guard Shynese Whitener (Newton, N.C.) led the Pioneers against Anderson with her game-high totals of 26 points and six steals. Whitener has scored 20 or more points four times this season (in six games), including the last three in a row. TC senior forward Kristen McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) had 11 rebounds to lead both teams Wednesday.
 
"Tusculum is coming off a really well-played game against Anderson, so I'm sure they will be fired up," Hancock says. "Hopefully we can focus on the task at hand and put aside the demands of exams for two hours. Our practices have been lively considering we are in the middle of finals."
 
Wingate junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) leads the Bulldogs in scoring with her 11 points per game. Freshman point guard Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) is next with her 10.8 points per game. Robinson leads the Bulldogs with 18 assists. Robinson is shooting 58.3 percent from three-point land (seven-of-12), tops in the league.
 
Witherspoon is Wingate's leading rebounder with 5.6 rebounds per game. She contributes 7.4 points per game, one of four Bulldogs to average between 7.4 and 8.8 points per game. Witherspoon is shooting 52.9 percent from the floor (18-of-34), good for fifth on the SAC charts.
 
Whitener leads the SAC with her 20.3 points per game. The Newton-Conover High School product is very consistent, as she is averaging 21.3 points per game in three SAC games. Whitener tops the TC charts in assists (26) and steals (25). Pioneer freshman guard Sydney Wilson (Greensboro, N.C.) averages 12.5 points per game. Wilson leads Tusculum with her five three-point field goals.
 
THIS AND THAT
 
Wingate won both meetings between the two schools last season. On Nov. 22, 2014, Bulldog senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) posted a career-high 30 points to lead visiting Wingate to a 79-72 triumph over Tusculum. The Bulldogs never trailed in the November meeting, building a 21-point lead in the first half.
 
On Jan. 17, McGee and forward Chantal Dunbar ('14, '16) combined for 44 points and 21 rebounds, boosting the Bulldogs to an 87-65 home victory over Tusculum. 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. Tricoli added 15 points on the strength of a game-high three three-point field goals.
 
Wingate will not play at home again until Wednesday, Dec. 30, when the Bulldogs host CIAA member Fayetteville State University for a 7 p.m. encounter. The WU-FSU contest is the next-to-last 2015-16 non-conference game for the Bulldogs. Wingate visits Shaw Saturday, Jan. 2 for a 2 p.m. afternoon matinee.
 
The Bulldogs have utilized the same starting line-up in each of their five games to date: Tricoli, Robinson, McGee, Witherspoon and junior guard Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.). Whitener is one of three Pioneers to start every game this season. The others are freshman forward Kasey Johnson (Greensboro, N.C.) and junior forward Jasmine Queen (Riverview, Fla.).
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 15 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past nine years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 82 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 82 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 91 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.