Salisbury, N.C.----Catawba College junior forward Jada Huntley (Indian Trail, N.C.) hit a three-point field goal with 63 seconds left, boosting the host Catawba Indians to a 73-69 South Atlantic Conference victory over Wingate University in Goodman Gymnasium Wednesday night. Huntley's triple broke a 68-68 tie and gave Catawba a lead it would not relinquish.
 
The game featured 11 ties and 20 lead changes. With the victory, Catawba improves to 7-8 overall and 4-5 in the SAC. Wingate is 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the SAC. The visiting Bulldogs see a six-game winning streak end Wednesday night.
 
Catawba junior guard Bri Johnson (Statesville, N.C.) led all scorers with 18 points. Huntley came off the Indian bench to post 16 markers. Catawba sophomore center Terri Rogers (Burlington, N.C.) had 10 points. She was one of four Indians to pull down a team-high five rebounds.
 
For Wingate, redshirt junior guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) had a season-high 14 points in a reserve role. The Mallard Creek High School product hit seven-of-nine field goals Wednesday. Bulldog junior guards Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) and Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.) had 12 points and 10 points, respectively. Both Tricoli and Tomlinson hit two three-point field goals each.
 
A Tricoli jumper tied the game 68-68 with 1:25 remaining in regulation. Twenty-two seconds later, Huntley hit the game-winner on an assist from sophomore guard Serena Brown (Fort Washington, Md.). Huntley hit five-of-seven field goals, including a perfect two-of-two from downtown.
 
Huntley and Wingate senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) traded free throws (0:15, 0:13) to make the score 72-69 Catawba. The Bulldogs retained possession after McGee missed the second of two shots. Wingate had a potential game-tying trifecta miss the mark. Rogers added one free throw with one second left to settle the final margin.
 
Catawba turned Wingate's season-high 24 turnovers into 28 points. On the other end, the Bulldogs scored 10 points off 18 Indian miscues. Wingate's bench outscored Catawba's reserves 32-21. Eleven Bulldogs saw action Wednesday night and all 11 found the scoring column.
 
A three-point field goal by McGee gave the visitors a 29-23 lead with 22 seconds left in the first quarter. The six-point edge was the Bulldogs' largest of the evening. Catawba senior forward Zhaquondalee Greer (Greensboro, N.C.) answered with a triple with two ticks on the first-quarter clock to cut the hosts' deficit to 29-26 entering the second stanza.
 
The Indians outscored the Bulldogs 22-15 in the second quarter to take a 48-44 lead to the halftime locker room. Both teams hit better than 50 percent from the floor in the first two quarters. Catawba converted 58.1 percent of its tries (18-of-31), while Wingate drained 55.2 percent of its shots (16-of-29). The Indians hit seven-of-12 triples (58.3 percent) in the first half. The Bulldogs made 75 percent of its long-range shots (six-of-eight) during the same time frame.
 
Wingate outrebounded Catawba 38-30. McGee led the way with seven boards. Both teams cooled off in the second half. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 49.1 percent from the floor (26-of-53), while the Indians hit 26 field goals in 60 tries for a 43.3 percent clip.
 
The Bulldogs conclude a two-game road trip Saturday with a 2 p.m. SAC contest at number 14 Anderson University. The AU Trojans and the WU Bulldogs finished first and second, respectively, in the 2015 SAC regular season standings. Catawba hosts Lincoln Memorial Saturday at the same time.
 
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.