Women's Basketball | 2/3/2016 9:17:00 AM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team (10-7 overall, 7-6 SAC) is traveling to Newberry College (11-9 overall, 10-4 SAC) for a mid-week South Atlantic Conference match-up Wednesday (Wingate audio; Newberry live statistics; Newberry video). The Wolves are currently ranked second in the league standings, behind nationally-ranked Anderson. Tip-off in Eleazer Arena is slated for 6 p.m.
 
During the December WU-NC contest, Newberry put in a dominant first half performance. The Wolves outscored the Bulldogs 49-17 in the opening 20 minutes on the way to 67-50 SAC victory. Newberry hit 11-of-16 three-point field goals in the first half (68.8 percent).

The Bulldogs outscored the Wolves 33-18 after halftime. Wingate cut the deficit to 60-36 after the third quarter. The hosts started the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to trim the margin to 62-48 on a lay-up by junior guard Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.) with 4:34 remaining.
 
After Newberry hit a free throw on the other end, Bulldog freshman guard Taylor Helms (Monroe, N.C.) converted a lay-up (3:37) to make the score 63-50. Wingate would get no closer down the stretch as neither team made a field goal in the final 3:37 of play.

Freshman guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) led the Bulldog offense with 10 points. Wingate junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) and freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) contributed eight points each.
 
Wingate will look to Witherspoon to continue her role on offense as she leads the SAC in field goal percentage, hitting 57.3 percent of her shots this season. She tops Wingate's scoring charts with her 10.5 points per game. Rumplasch is fourth on the SAC shooting list with her 52.7 percent field goal accuracy. The Cape Fear Community College transfer averages 9.5 points per game (third on the Bulldog list).
 
Newberry's offense currently holds two of the top five three-point field goal shooters in the SAC in senior guard/forward Samantha Creed (Montmorency, Vic, Australia) and sophomore guard Samara Hill (Frankston, Vic, Australia). They have converted 45.1 percent and 37.9 percent of their 3-point shots, respectively.
 
The fight for ball control should bring an exciting contest, with the top two rebounders from each team recording similar game averages this season. Wingate's Witherspoon and senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) average 5.5 and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Newberry's freshman center Meg Essex (Glamorgan Vale, Qld, Australia) and senior guard Kristen Dunsmore (Sydney, NSW, Australia) average 5.7 and 5.1 rebounds per game, respectively.
 
THIS AND THAT
 
Wingate won both games against Newberry last season. On Feb. 4, Wingate opened the second half on a 28-7 run on the way to a 67-51 SAC home victory over Newberry. The win gave the Bulldogs 12 consecutive triumphs and 14 straight league victories.
 
For Wingate, graduate student forward Chantal Dunbar ('14, '16) had team-high totals of 15 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) added 14 points, while guard Kelli Bonner ('15) had 11 points on the strength of a game-high three three-point field goals.
 
For Newberry, sophomore guard Nicola Handreck (Heywood, Vic, Australia) and senior guard Colleen Leung (James Island, S.C.) posted 10 points each. The visiting Wolves shot 29.6 percent from the floor (eight-of-27) in the pivotal second half.
 
On Feb. 25, Dunbar posted her 24th career double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds to lift the visiting Bulldogs to a 68-60 SAC win at Newberry. Wingate point guard Brittany Hill ('15) added a career-high 13 points for the visiting Bulldogs. Wingate collected its 20th victory of the season with the road conquest.
 
McGee had 11 points off the Bulldog bench, helping the WU reserves outscore their Newberry counterparts 19-7. Newberry forward Hayley Lepaio had a game-high 19 points for the host Wolves. She pulled down 10 rebounds. Junior forward/guard Jaya Schultz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) added 11 points and five rebounds for the hosts.
 
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 FEB. 13
 
Wingate University head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock ('92) and the Bulldog family announce the re-scheduling of the Wingate women's basketball Alumni Day for Saturday, Feb. 13. The Bulldogs will face South Atlantic Conference foe Brevard College 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-BC game. The Bulldogs will also host their Play 4Kay (Pink Day) activities on Saturday, Feb. 13.
 
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.
 
(Wingate University athletics intern Phillip Pruett, Jr. contributed this article. Pruett is senior at Temple University, majoring in Sport and Recreation Management.)