Pembroke, N.C.----Wingate University junior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) and sophomore guard/forward Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) combined for 33 points and 23 rebounds, leading the Bulldogs to a 65-52 non-conference road triumph over the UNC Pembroke Braves in NCAA Division II women's basketball action from the English E. Jones Center Sunday afternoon. Wingate improves to 4-1 overall with the victory. The Braves lose their first contest of the young season, falling to 2-1 overall.
 
Miscenko celebrated her birthday by recording her fourth consecutive double-double with 18 points and 14 boards as the Division I University of Texas El Paso transfer continues her dominant third-year campaign. Witherspoon finishes second on the WU charts with 15 points and nine rebounds, falling short of her first double-double in her second season in the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold.
 
"Winning on the road is always challenging," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "UNC Pembroke does so many things well…and they came out shooting it really well. I thought our defense tightened up in the second half and got out on their shooters better." 
 
Wingate never trailed in the contest with the 'Dogs jumping out to an early 11-8 advantage with 5:17 in the first quarter. UNCP then knotted the game up at 11-11 on a three-point jumper from junior guard Ebone Stevens (Kernersville, N.C.) at the 4:38 mark. The Braves would make it a 17-17 ballgame with 1:50 remaining in the first stanza; however, Wingate would use an 8-2 run to close out the quarter and lead 25-19 at the break between quarters.
 
Hancock's squad led by as many as eight points in the second quarter at 29-21 with 7:41 remaining, thanks to an 6-0 mini-run to begin the quarter. UNCP fought back to trim the deficit down to a narrow 31-30 score on a three-pointer from senior guard and local Porter Ridge High School product Jasmine Huntley (Indian Trail, N.C.) at the 3:19 mark. The Bulldogs and Braves were tied 32-32 at the halftime break.
 
The 'Dogs continued to keep UNCP from grabbing the lead as the Braves trailed 42-37 with 3:31 in the third quarter, but Wingate quickly sprinted out to its largest advantage of the contest with 11 points at 48-37 on a made jump shot from WU sophomore guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) at the 2:03 mark. The Bulldogs held on to the double-digit lead for the remainder of the third stanza and led 52-40 at its conclusion. Averette would finish the game with 12 points, three steals, one rebound and an assist.
 
UNCP would not get any closer than six points in the fourth quarter at 54-48 with 6:57 remaining on a successful three-point basket from sophomore guard Avery Locklear (Landis, N.C.). Wingate took a 59-50 lead on a lay-up from graduate student guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) at the 5:34 mark. The Braves would cut the deficit down to seven at 59-52, but the 'Dogs used a huge 6-0 run to take a 65-52 advantage with 1:02 left in the contest.
 
Locklear led all UNCP scorers with 13 points, three rebounds and one assist on the afternoon. Junior guard Nyla Allen (East Orange, N.J.) ranked second on the Braves scoring charts with nine points, four rebounds and an assist. Senior guard LaShonda Prichard (Havelock, N.C.) led all Pembroke rebounders with five total boards, along with seven points in scoring column.
 
Wingate outrebounded the Braves 58-31, dominating in the offensive rebound category 27-8 and 31-23 on the defensive side. The South Atlantic Conference visitors had 38 points in the paint, compared to 12 for the Peach Belt Conference hosts. UNCP compiled 15 turnovers compared to the Bulldogs' 14 giveaways, but Wingate led in points off turnovers at 15-11.
 
The 'Dogs had the slight edge in field goal percentage, shooting 35.6 percent (26-of-73), while UNC Pembroke shot 33.3 percent from the floor (19-of-57). The Bulldogs posted a season-high 10 steals as a team, along with five blocked shots and 14 total assists. Wingate also maintained the 24-11 advantage in second-chance buckets.
 
"Our rebounding effort was outstanding as was our post play," Hancock says. "All of the post players did good things when they were in the ballgame.  It was nice to get a win on Marta's birthday. She made some amazing passes down the stretch. Danasia made some big plays at crucial times as well."
 
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday evening when they hit the road to Newberry, S.C. for a conference showdown versus the Newberry College Wolves. Tip-off is slated for a 6 p.m. start from Eleazer Arena. UNCP remains at home on the same day for a non-conference clash against the Saint Augustine's University Falcons with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
(Wingate University athletic media relations/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A sophomore from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate. He is the son of Harrison and Dona Kaplan.)