Women's Basketball | 12/15/2015 2:40:00 PM

Harrogate, Tenn.----The Wingate University women's basketball team (3-3 overall, 2-2 SAC) looks to snap an uncharacteristic two-game losing streak Wednesday, as the Bulldogs venture to Lincoln Memorial University (6-3 overall, 3-1 SAC) to face the Railsplitters Wednesday night at 6 p.m. The Wingate University Sports Network will provide a live audio broadcast. Lincoln Memorial will provide live video and live stats.
 
The Bulldogs concluded fall semester final examinations today (Tuesday, Dec. 15). In its most recent contest, Wingate dropped a heart-breaking 57-56 SAC decision to Tusculum on Sunday afternoon in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. The Bulldogs led 35-25 at halftime before the TC Pioneers rallied for the crucial league victory.
 
Freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead Wingate against Tusculum. Bulldog junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) had 13 points. She led the hosts with three three-point field goals. Wingate senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) had 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
 
Tricoli leads Wingate with her 11.3 points per game and 10 three-point field goals. Freshman point guard Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) follows with her 9.7 points per game and team-best 21 assists. Both Tricoli and Robinson have been very consistent in the season's early stages, as Tricoli posts 11.8 points per game in SAC contests with Robinson posting 9.8 points per game in league play.
 
LMU junior guard/forward Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) averages a double-double with 11.6 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard Britney Guy (Locust Grove, Ga.) contributes 10.1 points per game. Six Railsplitters average between 5.3 points per game and 8.7 points per game.
 
"Lincoln Memorial is a talented basketball squad," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "They have a terrific inside game that has been dominant on the boards. Their size has given other teams trouble. They play well as a team and look to get the ball inside on every possession. Rebounding will certainly be a big factor in the game."   
 
Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC in total rebounds, rebounding margin and offensive rebounds per game. Wingate is second in the SAC in total rebounds and first in defensive rebounds per game. The Bulldogs are second on the SAC scoring charts with 71.8 points per game. LMU is fourth with 67.2 points per game. Carson-Newman leads the SAC with 72.7 points per game.
 
THIS AND THAT
 
The Bulldogs and the Railsplitters have two common opponents (so far) this season. Both teams dropped close away-from-home decisions to USC Aiken. In addition, both clubs have road wins over Lenoir-Rhyne. The 'Splitters edged the L-R Bears 69-66 on Dec. 2. Wingate defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 84-34 on Nov. 24.
 
Wingate split the two meetings between the two schools last season. On Jan. 10, Wingate senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) posted 21 points to lead four players in double-figure points as the first-place Bulldogs earned an 88-65 home victory over Lincoln Memorial.
 
Bulldog graduate student forward Andrea Bertrand had 18 points and a team-best eight rebounds for the victors. Graduate student forward Chantal Dunbar ('14, '16) and Tricoli had 14 and 13 points, respectively. Dunbar pulled down seven boards as Wingate outrebounded LMU 40-32.
 
On Feb. 21, LMU finished the game on a 17-4 run to take a 63-60 victory over first-place Wingate at an almost-empty Tex Turner Arena (one foot of snow followed by ice). Pittman netted 16 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Guard Katrina Ottesen had a game-high 20 points.
 
For Wingate, guard Kelli Bonner ('15, '17) topped the Bulldog charts with 15 points. Bonner hit five three-point field goals in seven attempts. Dunbar and McGee added 13 points each. Dunbar recorded her 23rd career double-double with a team-best 11 rebounds.
 
"LMU is always a tough place to play," Hancock says. "It is different from other places we play.  It's a long trip and a larger venue. The Railsplitters always seem to play even better at home." 
 
The Bulldogs will conclude their pre-Christmas schedule Saturday, traveling to Brevard College for a 2 p.m. SAC contest. Wingate returns home 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.
 
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.
 
(Special thanks to Lincoln Memorial University Sports Information for contributing statistical information to this article.)