Women's Basketball | 2/9/2016 3:21:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team (12-8 overall, 9-7 SAC) is headed down the road to the Queen City to tip-off against Queens University of Charlotte (4-17 overall, 2-14 SAC) in the Curry Arena of the Levine Center. The contest is slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off.
 
The two teams met previously in January. The Bulldogs could seemingly do no wrong in their 77-29 home victory over the Royals. Wingate converted 28 Royal turnovers into 35 points during the game and put up 50 points shooting from the paint.
 
Freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) continues her reign as the SAC's number one field goal shooter, converting 54 percent of her shots this season. She is currently the leading scorer for the Bulldogs, averaging 10.6 points per game. Senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) will look to put in work as well to maintain her average of 10.2 points per game.
 
Queens' offense is led by sophomore guard Carmen Richardson (Rocky Mount, N.C.), who currently holds an average of 13.1 points per game. Following behind her is junior McKell Oliverio (Florence, Ky.), who maintains an 11.6 points per game average. Oliverio is currently ranked fourth in the South Atlantic Conference for her three-point completion rate of 40.5 percent.
 
The fight for ball control off the glass should be provide for an interesting contest. Richardson tops the Royals charts with her 6.2 rebound per game average; she will square off against Witherspoon's 5.5 rebounds per game. Queens junior forward/center Maggie Stewart (Otto, N.C.) will look to reinforce her teammate as she maintains an average of 5.2 rebounds. Wingate's McGee will be determined to counter the support, as she has put up 4.9 boards per game this season.
 
THIS AND THAT

Wingate head coach Ann Hancock has never lost a game to Queens in her three-plus years at her current position. She is 6-0 overall when facing the Royals.
 
Wingate swept the season series with the Royals last year. On Jan. 14, 2015, Wingate forward Chantal Dunbar ('14, '16) had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to a 67-50 SAC road victory at Queens. Three players hit double figures for the visiting Bulldogs. Oliverio led all scorers with 22 points.
 
On Feb. 11, 2015, McGee had game-high honors with 13 points as Wingate earned a 50-44 triumph over Queens in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs shot a season-low 28 percent from the floor (14-of-50), including a frigid 22.6 percent in the first half (seven-of-31).
 
Wingate won the February game on the charity stripe, hitting 20-of-32 free throws (62.5 percent). The visiting Royals made four more field goals (18), but converted only seven-of-12 free throws (58.3 percent). Queens senior guards Erin Brundage (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Karleasha Thompson (Stockton, Calif.) had eight points each. The Royals committed 24 turnovers which the Bulldogs converted into 25 points. Queens scored only 10 points off 15 Wingate mistakes.
 
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 information to this article. Pruett is senior at Temple University, majoring in Sport and Recreation Management.)