Women's Basketball | 1/12/2016 2:38:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----On the heels of a successful two-game home stand, the Wingate University women's basketball team (9-3 overall, 6-2 SAC) takes a six-game winning streak on the road Wednesday as the Bulldogs visit Catawba College (6-8 overall, 3-5 SAC) for a 6 p.m. contest in Goodman Gymnasium. The host Indians have won two games in a row.
 
"This is going to be a really tough game for us," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. They are really athletic. Catawba junior guard Bri Johnson (Statesville, N.C.) is one of the top scorers in the SAC, while sophomore center Terri Rogers (Burlington, N.C.) is one of the league's top post players. Catawba will be very difficult for us to guard."
 
Johnson (15.7 points per game) and Rogers (14.6 points per game) are third and fifth, respectively, on the SAC scoring charts. Wingate has three players who average double-figure points. WU freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) leads the way with her 11.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Hickory High product posts 11.6 points per game in SAC league play.
 
Bulldog junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) and senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) contribute 10.4 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. McGee is next (behind Witherspoon) on Wingate's rebounding list with her 5.6 boards per game.
 
McGee scored her 1000th career point Saturday as the home-standing Bulldogs defeated Carson-Newman 63-57. She has 1005 career points. In the C-N game, McGee led Wingate with 15 points. WU junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) had 14 points off the bench Saturday, nailing seven-of-nine field goals.
 
"Rebounding will be a key Wednesday night," Hancock says. "Catawba does a good job on the boards. Strong rebounding and defensive efforts give us the best chance to be successful."
 
Wingate outrebounds its opponents by almost seven boards per game (43.2-36.4). In SAC play, the margin is very similar (44.6-37.9). Wingate's 6.8 rebounding margin is second in the league to Lincoln Memorial's chart-topping 11.5 margin. The Bulldogs lead the league in field goal percentage (43.0 percent); Witherspoon is fourth on the SAC individual field goal charts. She has converted 55.9 percent of her field goal tries this season (57-of-102).
 
In Hancock's three seasons as head coach, Wingate is 3-3 overall against Catawba. "This is a game our players look forward to on the schedule," Hancock says. "Catawba-Wingate is a good rivalry. Catawba's Goodman Gymnasium has always been a tough place for us to play."
 
THIS AND THAT
 
Catawba and Wingate split two contests last season. On Jan. 21, 2015, Wingate built a 20-point lead and survived a furious Catawba rally to post a 62-47 home triumph. The Bulldogs avenged their only SAC loss to claim their 10th consecutive SAC win.
 
Wingate graduate student post players Andrea Bertrand and Chantal Dunbar led the way for the hosts in the January contest. Bertrand had 17 points, while Dunbar recorded her 20th career double-double with 10 points and a game-high (tying) 13 rebounds. Nine Bulldog players participated and nine found the scoring column. Catawba junior forward Jada Huntley (Indian Trail, N.C.) led the visiting Indians with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
 
On Nov. 19, 2014, Catawba senior guard Emma Ucinski (Atlanta, Ga.) scored 20 points to lead the Indians to a 67-55 home victory over Wingate. Two Catawba players joined Ucinski in double figures as the hosts led wire-to-wire. Johnson and senior guard Zhaquondalee Greer (Greensboro, N.C.) contributed 10 points each. McGee led the visiting Bulldogs with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
 
The Bulldogs lead the SAC with 13 appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament. Wingate has an overall NCAA tourney record of 15-14 with Elite Eight appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2008. The Bulldogs have won 11 SAC regular season crowns and seven Food Lion SAC tournament championships. Wingate finished second in the SAC regular season standings last year.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALUMNI DAY IS JAN. 23
 
Wingate University head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock ('92) and the Bulldog family announce Wingate women's basketball Alumni Day for Saturday, Jan. 23. The Bulldogs will face South Atlantic Conference foe Mars Hill University as part of the festivities in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Tip-off for this contest is 2 p.m.
 
The day begins at 11 a.m. with a chance for the alumni to meet and greet the current team. The alumni will be served a catered lunch at 11:30 a.m. Both the meet-and-greet opportunity and the lunch will be held at the Jesse Helms Center in Wingate.
 
Campus tours will be available from 12:45 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. The Wingate Outfitters (bookstore) will be open as well. The Wingate women's basketball alumni will be recognized at halftime of the WU-MHU game.
 
Alumni can register (and view an attendee list) at this link. For more details, please contact Ann Hancock via E-mail at a.hancock@wingate.edu or via phone at 704-233-8172. Hancock and her team look forward to celebrating the past, present and future accomplishments of the Wingate women's basketball alumni.
 
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.