Wingate, N.C.----Wingate freshman guard/forward Danasia Witherspoon led five players in double figures with her game-high 14 points as the home-standing Bulldogs (17-8, 14-7 SAC) defeated Catawba 74-53 Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. A Hickory High product, Witherspoon flirted with a triple-double, as she recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Sophomore center Terri Rogers (Burlington, N.C.) led the visiting Indians (15-12, 12-9 SAC) with 12 points.

Wingate has won seven games in a row entering Saturday's Senior Day game versus number 21 Anderson University (20-4 overall, 18-3 SAC). The Catawba victory assures Wingate will play a first-round SAC tournament game at home Wednesday, March 2. The Indians remain on the road as they head to Lincoln Memorial Saturday. Both the WU-AU game and the LMU-CC game tip at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Witherspoon converted six-of-seven field goal attempts for her 14 points. Bulldog junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) posted 12 markers, converting three-of-four shots outside the three-point arc. The Bulldogs hit seven-of-12 triples Wednesday (58.3 percent).

Redshirt junior guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) had 11 points and five assists, while senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) and sophomore center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) added 10 points each. McGee hit two-of-three field goals from downtown.

"Today was another big win for our program," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "It was a total team effort with balanced scoring and rebounding. We did an outstanding job on the boards, which was a key for us."

Catawba trailed 45-30 at intermission and shot only 21.2 percent from the floor after halftime (seven-of-33). Rogers hit six-of-13 field goals on her way to 12 points, while senior center Khadijah Brown (Warrenton, N.C.) added nine points and a team-best five rebounds. Brown converted four-of-five shots from the floor.

Both teams struggled to maintain ball control throughout the contest, as Wingate turned the ball over 24 times to Catawba's 22. The Bulldogs posted 15 takeaways, while the Indians had 14 steals. Wingate won the battle of the boards 48-31. McGee and Witherspoon led the way with eight rebounds and seven rebounds, respectively.

Wingate shot 57.6 percent from the floor in the first half (19-of-33). The Bulldogs cooled off in the second half to finish at 49.2 percent (31-of-63). Wingate leads the SAC in field goal percentage and scoring margin. Catawba managed only 29.7 percent shooting Wednesday (19-of-64).

"Catawba is a very good defensive team," Hancock says. "We were able to knock down some shots. Our depth came in to play. We were able to play a lot of people and keep fresh legs in the game." 
 
(Wingate University athletics intern Phillip Pruett, Jr. contributed information to this article. Pruett is senior at Temple University, majoring in Sport and Recreation Management.)