Women's Basketball | 3/10/2016 4:22:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The South Atlantic Conference tournament champion Wingate University women's basketball team (21-8 overall) is heading into the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals this weekend. The sixth-seed Bulldogs will tip-off against third-seed Columbus State University (24-5 overall) in Gaffney, S.C. Friday at 12 noon. The CSU Cougars are the number 23 team in the latest USA Today Sports/WBCA coaches' poll (NCAA interactive bracket; NCAA printable bracket; NCAA press release).
 
"Columbus State is a great team year in and year out…this year is no exception," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "They have one of the best scorers I've seen in (senior guard) Michelle Mitchell (Eastman, Ga.). She will find ways to get to her sweet spots regardless of the defense."
 
"We will need a tremendous team effort to stop Mitchell," Hancock says. "They have other options that can hurt us as well. Their rebounding and transition are big parts of their offense…stopping those will be critical. We are looking forward to the challenge. I know our girls will be ready."
 
In addition to being crowned South Atlantic Conference champions, the Bulldogs are currently riding an 11-game winning streak. Wingate enters this year's NCAA event with an overall NCAA tournament record of 15-14 including Elite Eight appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2008. The Bulldogs lead the SAC with 14 appearances in the NCAA dance. Last season, Wingate defeated Lander 72-57 in a first-round NCAA match-up before falling 77-66 to eventual national semi-finalist Limestone in the regional semi-finals.
 
Mitchell leads Columbus State's offense as the number one scorer in the Peach Belt Conference with her 20.3 points per game. Mitchell has tallied 589 points this season. Junior teammates Britteny Tatum (LaGrange, Ga.) and Ashley Asouzu (Dothan, Ala.) will bring support with their averages of 10.4 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
 
Asouzu also ranked second in the PBC for her quickness off the glass throughout the year, averaging 9.7 rebounds per game and totaling 282 boards this season. Mitchell will look to reinforce Asouzu's efforts with her own average of 8.4 rebounds per game.
 
For Wingate, freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) topped the SAC charts in field goal percentage, having converted 53.8 percent of her shots this season. She currently averages 10.0 points per game. The Hickory High product leads the Wingate rebounding brigade with 5.2 rebounds per game. She will be supported by junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) who also ranked top five on the SAC field goal percentage charts for her 51.3 conversion rate.
 
Senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) is also hoping to put in work as she continues to enjoy the last post-season of her collegiate career. She averages 10.0 points per game as well. McGee contributes 4.9 rebounds per game this season. Leading the Bulldogs in points per game is junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) with her 10.4 point average. The SAC tournament MVP, Tricoli is Wingate's most avid three-point shooter with her 31 triples this season.
 
Wingate led the SAC in scoring defense (61.0 points per game allowed), scoring margin (plus 9.6 points per game) and team field goal percentage (44.8 percent) this season. The Bulldogs were second in the league in team field goal percentage defense (36.4 percent), rebounding margin (plus 6.2 rebounds per game), assists (15.3 per game), steals (8.7 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (0.93), free throws attempted (612) and turnovers forced (18.1 per game).
 
In November 2014, Wingate and Columbus State met in the Clayton State Challenge. Mitchell posted a game-high 25 points as the Cougars withstood a furious rally to take a 77-69 neutral court triumph over the Bulldogs.
 
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.)