Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team never trailed, concluding the 2015 calendar year with a 55-41 NCAA Division II victory over Fayetteville State University Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) and junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) had 13 points each for the victorious Bulldogs.
 
Wingate improves to 6-3 overall with the victory. Fayetteville State is 7-6 overall. The WU Bulldogs visit Shaw Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest. The FSU Broncos travel to Virginia to play the Apprentice School Monday at 5 p.m.
 
Wingate junior guard Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.) flirted with a triple-double, posting six points with game-high totals of six assists and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) had eight points and three rebounds for the hosts.
 
For Fayetteville State, senior center Bria Robinson (Belmont, N.C.) led the Broncos with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. FSU sophomore forwards Courtney Best (Raleigh, N.C.) and Vanessa Hinnant (Selma, N.C.) added eight points each for the visitors.
 
The Bulldogs sprinted to a 30-19 lead at intermission, as nine players found the first-half scoring column. Rumplasch posted seven points in seven minutes, while Witherspoon contributed six markers. Best had eight points for the Broncos. Wingate shot 44.8 percent in the first half (13-of-29), while Fayetteville State hit 33.3 percent of its field goals in the first 20 minutes (nine-of-27).
 
A Witherspoon jumper nudged Wingate's lead to 35-21 with 4:42 left in the third quarter. Fayetteville State responded with eight unanswered points to cut the deficit to 35-29 on a Hinnant free throw with 2:06 remaining in the stanza. Robinson had four of the eight points in the mini-run.
 
Tomlinson answered with a short jumper on Wingate's next possession (1:40), pushing the Bulldog lead to 37-29 entering the fourth frame. The FSU Broncos would get no closer, as the hosts pushed their advantage to as many as 16 points in the waning moments.
 
On the evening, Wingate shot 42.0 percent from the floor (21-of-50). Fayetteville State managed only 33.9 percent shooting accuracy Saturday (19-of-56). The Bulldogs made four-of-eight three-point field goals, while the Broncos hit one-of-nine attempts from downtown.
 
The two teams combined for 37 turnovers. Fayetteville State was more opportunistic, turning 19 Wingate mistakes into 19 points. The Bulldogs managed only four points from 18 Bronco miscues. The 6-4 Robinson helped FSU score 28 points in the paint, compared to 22 points inside for the hosts.
 
Wingate junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) had five rebounds as the Bulldogs held a slim 36-33 rebounding margin. Tricoli led both clubs with her four steals. Thanks in large part to Rumplasch, the Wingate bench outscored the Fayetteville State substitutes 19-15.