Greenwood, S.C.----Lander University senior guard Mylea McKenith scored a season-high 25 points, leading the number 24 Bearcats to an 81-76 NCAA Division II women's basketball victory over number six Wingate University Tuesday night in Finis Horne Arena. McKenith was one of four LU student-athletes to hit double-figure points as the Bearcats led wire-to-wire.
 
Visiting Wingate also had four double-digit scorers, led by junior guards Caroline Averette and Courtney Robinson with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Bulldog senior center Marta Miscenko had 12 points and six rebounds, while junior forward Danasia Witherspoon posted 10 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: #24 Lander 81, #6 Wingate 76
Records: #24 Lander 3-1, #6 Wingate 3-1
Location: Finis Horne Arena, Greenwood, S.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-Lander turned 29 Wingate turnovers into 22 points. The hosts had 13 steals. The Bulldogs scored only 11 points from 15 Bearcat mistakes.
-Lander had 14 fast-break points, compared to two for Wingate.
-The Bearcats shot 50 percent from the field in the first half (16-of-32) as they built a 41-25 advantage. The Bulldogs shot 37.5 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes (nine-of-24).
-Wingate had six blocked shots with four from Miscenko and two from Robinson.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Breshay Johnson scored the game's first two points and the Bearcats never looked back. One free throw by LU junior guard Christal Williams put the hosts up 17-9 with 55 seconds to play. The Bearcats led 19-11 after the opening 10 minutes, thanks to seven points from senior center Breshay Johnson.
 
Second quarter
 
Lander started the second stanza with a 9-0 run to take a 28-11 lead on a three-point field goal by sophomore guard Destinee Langford at the eight-minute mark. The Bearcats led by as many as 22 points. Wingate put together an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 39-25 on a Witherspoon follow shot with 13 seconds left before intermission. McKenith hit a lay-up at the buzzer to make the score 41-25 Lander.
 
Third quarter
 
Wingate pulled within six (53-47) on a three-point field goal by Averette with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter. McKenith led both teams with her 19 points through three frames.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
The fourth quarter was a wild one, as Wingate cut the deficit to three points on two occasions. A Robinson lay-up made the score 70-67 Lander with 2:39 left. The Bearcats hit a three-point field goal on the ensuing possession to build their lead back to six points. A Miscenko follow shot made the score 75-72 Bearcats with 18 seconds left. Miscenko made one-of-two free throws three seconds later to make it a two-point game. Lander made four-of-four free throws in the waning moments to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Wingate made 23 first-half turnovers as Lander built a 22-point lead in the second quarter.
 
NOTABLES
 
-Langford had 14 points for the hosts, while Williams added 11 markers. Wingate held Lander's Breshay Johnson to 10 points, eight points below her season average.
-The Bulldogs shot 61.1 percent from the floor (11-of-18) in the fourth quarter to make things very interesting.
 
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock: "Lander is a very good team…they played well tonight. Their defense forced us into too many turnovers. I was very proud of our effort. We did not give up.  Limiting the turnovers to six in the second half allowed us to climb back in the game. This should be motivation to keep working to correct our mistakes."
 
ON THE HORIZON

Wingate will host UNC Pembroke Sunday at 4 p.m. The UNCP Braves will be Wingate's fifth Peach Belt Conference opponent in five games. The Bulldogs open South Atlantic Conference play Wednesday, Nov. 29 when Newberry comes to town for a 6 p.m. start.