Women's Basketball | 3/4/2016 3:31:00 PM

Greenville, S.C.----The number three seed Wingate University women's basketball team (19-8 overall) plays number two seed Newberry College (17-12 overall) in the South Atlantic Conference tournament semi-finals Saturday afternoon in Furman University's Timmons Arena (live statistics, live video). The Bulldogs and the Wolves will tip-off at 2:30 p.m. The last time Wingate played at Furman, the Bulldogs won the 2014 SAC tournament title.
 
"It's tournament time and March Madness," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "This is what all the teams have worked for all year. I'm excited for our girls to get the opportunity to play in a true tournament environment as well as have the chance to advance to the championship."
 
On Wednesday, Wingate junior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) posted 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 68-58 SAC tourney first-round victory over Catawba in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Tricoli hit four-of-eight three-pointers, adding four rebounds and three assists to her statistical ledger. Wingate led wire-to-wire, earning its second victory over Catawba in eight days and its ninth consecutive triumph overall.
 
Newberry sophomore point guard Nicola Handreck (Heywood, Vic, Australia) had 23 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Wolves earned an 85-74 SAC tourney first-round triumph over Carson-Newman Wednesday night. Newberry led by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter. Much like the Bulldogs, the Wolves led cover-to-cover.
 
During the regular season, Newberry won both meetings between the two teams. On Dec. 8,
Newberry sprinted to a 49-17 halftime lead and never looked back to collect a 67-50 SAC triumph. The Wolves hit 11-of-16 three-point field goals in the first half (68.8 percent).
  
For Newberry, Handreck had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. Redshirt senior guard/forward Samantha Creed (Melbourne, Australia) posted 13 points, while junior forward/guard Jaya Schultz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and sophomore guard Samara Hill (Frankston, Australia) recorded 11 points each.
 
Wingate freshman guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) led the Bulldogs with 10 points and four steals. Bulldog junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) and freshman guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) contributed eight points each. The hosts hit only six-of-20 field goals (30 percent) in the pivotal first half.
 
On Feb. 3, Newberry rallied from a 17-point third quarter deficit to take a 62-61 victory over Wingate in Eleazer Arena. Handreck and Creed combined for 34 points to lead the host Wolves. 
Handreck led all scorers with 18 points, hitting five-of-10 three-point field goals. She filled up her statistics ledger with six rebounds, five assists and one blocked shot. Creed had 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals.
 
For visiting Wingate, Witherspoon had 15 points, five rebounds and three steals. Bulldog senior forward Morgan McGee (Durham, N.C.) and sophomore guard Taziya Moody (Columbia, S.C.) had 11 points each. Moody's 11 markers is a Wingate career-high point total for the Caldwell Community College transfer.
 
During Wingate's current nine-game winning streak, the Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents by 14.7 points per game (73.1-58.4) and outrebounding their foes by 9.1 rebounds per game (41.7-32.6). Both margins are better than Wingate's 27-game totals of 9.8 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs lead the SAC in scoring margin with their 9.8 points per game victory total.
 
In addition, Wingate tops the SAC team charts with its 44.9 percent field goal accuracy. During the current nine-game winning streak, the Bulldogs are shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 67.5 percent from the foul line. Both marks are better than Wingate's 27-game totals.
 
Tricoli leads the Bulldogs with her 10.7 points per game average. She is also the top Bulldog in three-point field goals made with 30. McGee and Witherspoon follow close behind with 10.3 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. If she met the NCAA minimum of five made field goals per game, Witherspoon would lead the SAC with her 54.0 field goal percentage accuracy (109-of-202).
 
McGee was named to the All-SAC second team earlier this week. During Wingate's current nine-game winning streak, McGee has stepped up her game by averaging 12.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. Both totals are team-best marks during this time frame. McGee has scored double-figure points in 15 of her 27 senior season games, including seven of her last nine contests.
 
Witherspoon and freshman guard Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) were two of five student-athletes named to the All-SAC freshman team. Witherspoon also snagged a spot on the honorable mention All-SAC list. In SAC regular season play, Witherspoon is Wingate's leading scorer with her 10.4 points per game. In Wingate's last nine games (all victories), Robinson stepped up her game to average 9.6 points per game.
 
Creed leads Newberry with her 13.1 points per game. SAC Freshman of the Year Meg Essex (Glamorgan, Vale, Queensland, Australia) averages 12.8 points per game and a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game. Essex leads the SAC in blocked shots with her 2.6 rejections per game. Handreck rounds out Newberry's double-figure scorers with her 12.1 points per game.
 
On the team charts, Newberry leads the SAC with its 35.2 three-point field goal percentage. Wingate is not far behind with its 34.8 percent accuracy from downtown. The Wolves' 175 made three-point field goals is the most of any team in the SAC women's final four. Newberry also tops the SAC team charts with its 4.3 blocked shots per game.
 
"Newberry is a very good team," Hancock says. "They have inside and outside scorers which make it difficult to defend them. They also have experienced players who know and understand what it's like to win the tournament. We will have to do a tremendous job defending their shooters as well as limiting them to one shot. Transition defense will also be a key. We can't allow them to get easy fast-break points."
 
THIS AND THAT
 
NCAA Division II number 25 Anderson and Lincoln Memorial meet in the 12 noon semi-final Saturday. Wingate split two games with Anderson as each team won on its home court. The Bulldogs swept the season series with the LMU Railsplitters. Newberry is the defending SAC tournament champion.
 
The Bulldogs have won 11 SAC regular season crowns and seven Food Lion SAC tournament championships. Wingate leads 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 Wednesday, March 3 NCAA Division II Southeast Region top 10 includes (in order): Limestone, Columbus State, Clayton State, Lander, Anderson, Francis Marion, Augusta, Wingate, North Georgia and Newberry. Eight teams (three conference champions, five at-large) make the NCAA Division II Southeast Region tournament. The NCAA Division II Elite Eight is slated for March 22-23 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The NCAA Division II national championship game will be played in Indianapolis on April 4.
 
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.)