Highlights | Postgame Press Conference

Greenville, S.C.----Wingate University sophomore center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) scored 22 of her career-high 24 points after halftime, leading the Bulldogs to a 61-54 South Atlantic Conference tournament semi-final victory over Newberry College in the Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University. Miscenko hit 11-of-13 field goals after intermission.
 
With its conference-best 10th consecutive triumph, Wingate improves to 20-8 overall. The Bulldogs post their 24th 20-win season in program history with the victory. Wingate will play number 25 Anderson (22-5 overall) in Sunday's 1 p.m. championship game. Newberry concludes the 2015-16 season 17-13 overall.
 
Wingate freshman guard/forward Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) added 16 points for the victorious Bulldogs. She led the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad Bulldogs with six rebounds. For Newberry, senior guard/forward Samantha Creed (Montmorency, Vic, Australia) and sophomore guard Nicola Handreck (Heywood, Vic, Australia) had 15 points each for the Wolves.
 
"We did not play our best in the first half, but I'm proud of the way we defended and kept battling," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "Our post game was huge down the stretch. Marta and Danasia took over. Everyone did a great job of getting them ball. They did a great job finishing." 
 
The Bulldogs shot 56.3 percent in the second half (18-of-32) after hitting only 21.7 percent in the first half (five-of-23). For the game, Wingate hit 41.8 percent from the floor (23-of-55), while Newberry converted 33.9 percent of its field goal attempts (19-of-56). The Wolves led 21-18 at halftime, as they hit 31.0 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes (nine-of-29).
 
Newberry started the third quarter with a 9-4 mini-run, taking a 30-22 lead on a Handreck jumper with 6:45 to play. The eight-point edge was the Wolves' largest lead of the afternoon. The Bulldogs answered with a 20-10 push to end the quarter, taking a 42-40 advantage to the final frame. Miscenko led the flurry with eight points, while Witherspoon added seven markers.
 
The Wolves regained control, taking a 49-44 lead on two free throws by senior guard Colleen Leung (James Island, S.C.) with 6:19 to play. The two teams traded the lead six times in the fourth quarter, including five times in the final five minutes. Miscenko answered Leung's free throws with a personal 6-0 run to give the Bulldogs a 50-49 edge with 4:26 remaining.
 
The two teams continued to trade baskets while Miscenko continued her individual flurry. All total, she scored 14 consecutive Wingate points to put the Bulldogs in the driver's seat. A Miscenko lay-up gave Wingate a 54-53 lead with 2:55 left. After a Newberry free throw tied the game for the seventh (and final) time, Miscenko scored two more baskets (1:54, 1:06) to give Wingate a 58-54 advantage.
 
Wingate redshirt junior guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) did the rest, hitting three-of-four free throws in the final 46 seconds to keep the Wolves at bay. Newberry was zero-for-five from the floor in the last three-plus minutes. The Wolves' final field goal came with 3:35 remaining.
 
The Bulldogs outscored the Wolves 38-22 in the paint. Wingate's reserves outscored Newberry's substitutes 31-13. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Wolves 41-37, as three players supported Witherspoon's six boards with five rebounds each: Miscenko, junior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) and sophomore guard Taziya Moody (Columbia, S.C.).
 
"Rebounding was big," Hancock says. "Newberry was winning the boards most of the game, but we fought hard to win the battle. Newberry is always tough for us. Creed and Handreck are really difficult to defend."