Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team outscored Limestone College 20-5 in the decisive fourth quarter on the way to a 63-47 Future Bulldog Day victory Monday afternoon in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court. Wingate senior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) led the host Bulldogs with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.
 
Wingate junior guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) and freshman guard Morgan Simmons (Buford, Ga.) had 11 points each. The 11-point output is a career-high for Simmons. For Limestone, senior guard Jasmine Richardson (Talladega, Ala.) had 11 points. Three LC teammates had 10 points each.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: #14 Wingate 63, Limestone 47
Records: #14 Wingate 7-1 overall, Limestone 5-2 overall
Location: Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court, Wingate, N.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-Wingate's bench outscored Limestone's reserves 22-0. Three Limestone substitutes played only 27 minutes, while six Bulldog subs played 56 minutes.
-One game removed from a shooting a season-high 54.7 percent from the floor (in a Saturday SAC victory over Mars Hill), Wingate managed only 31.1 percent field goal accuracy (19-of-61).
-Limestone was in the same boat, hitting only 31 percent of its shots from the floor (18-of-58).
-The Bulldogs won the battle of the boards for the eighth time in eight games, outrebounding the Saints 46-38. WU junior forward Danasia Witherspoon supported Miscenko's efforts with nine rebounds. Averette pulled down five caroms.
-Limestone senior center Aaliyah Davis had a big day with six points, 11 rebounds and a game-high six blocked shots.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Wingate took the lead for good when Miscenko hit an inside jumper (on an Averette assist) at the 6:53 mark. The hoop gave the Bulldogs a 5-4 edge. The basket was the first score of a 10-2 run as Wingate built a 13-6 lead with 3:23 remaining. A three-point field goal from Simmons concluded the flurry. Simmons had all 11 of her points in the first frame, helping the Bulldogs take a 19-10 lead.
 
Second quarter

The Bulldogs took their biggest lead of the first half at 24-14 after an old-fashioned three-point play by freshman guard Jasmine Stephen at the 6:40 mark. The Saints responded with an 8-2 push to cut the deficit to 26-22 on a three-point field goal by junior guard Taylour Hunter with 3:49 to play. Wingate nudged the margin back to nine at the end of the half. Bulldog senior guard Taziya Moody concluded the second-quarter scoring on a jumper with 34 seconds left, making the score 32-23 Wingate at the break.
 
Third quarter
 
Limestone shot 47.1 percent from the floor (eight-of-17) and 50 percent from three-point land (three-of-six) to take the third quarter by a score of 19-11. LC senior forward Aliya Ruffin hit two of three long-distance jumpers (on back-to-back possessions), cutting the deficit to 41-38 with 2:13 to play.
 
A put-back by Witherspoon gave Wingate a 43-38 lead with 1:22 left. Limestone senior guard Keidra Smith hit hoops on consecutive possessions to make the score 43-42 Wingate with 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
The Saints scored only five fourth-quarter points as the Bulldogs gradually pulled away. Miscenko and junior guard Courtney Robinson had eight and six points, respectively. Wingate hit 12-of-14 free throws in the frame. Both Miscenko and Robinson hit four-of-four charity tosses each in the final three minutes and change.
 
Wingate led 51-47 with 4:45 to play after Richardson hit a short jumper. Limestone would not score again as the Bulldogs finished the contest on a 12-0 run. A Miscenko jumper put Wingate up 59-47 with 1:27 to go. Robinson hit her four-of-four free throws in the final 71 seconds to settle the final margin.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Wingate's 12-of-14 free throw shooting in the final quarter made the difference. Limestone made only two-of-12 field goals in the same stretch (16.7 percent).
 
NOTABLES
 
-Wingate hosted 815 Union County fifth graders for its sixth annual Future Bulldog Day.
-Future Bulldog Day is an event for local fifth-grade students to visit the Wingate campus for a day and enjoy virtual tours, motivational speakers and NCAA Division II basketball.
-Hunter, Ruffin and Smith scored 10 points each for the Saints. Smith flirted with a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
-The Bulldogs scored 16 second-chance points, thanks to 16 offensive rebounds. On the other end, the Saints scored only two second-chance points on 10 offensive boards.

QUOTABLES
 
Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock: "Future Bulldog Day is one of the best games of the year because of the enthusiasm of the fifth-grade students. It's thrilling for our players to play in front of such a great crowd. We are appreciative of Limestone agreeing to play at 11:30 a.m., which made it possible for the buses to come and return before school lets out for the day. We are grateful to all of the WU staff who help make this day memorable for our student-athletes and the Union County Public Schools fifth graders."
 
"It was a very physical game. Limestone did a good job of making it tough on our inside players. Morgan Simmons came in to spark our scoring from the outside and Caroline Averette did a nice job of attacking the basket. The free throw line was huge for us…getting to the line 25 times allowed us to put points on the board. In addition, keeping Limestone off the line was important."
 
ON THE HORIZON

Wingate will take a break for final examinations Dec. 6-12 before returning to the hardwood with a Dec. 13 South Atlantic Conference road contest at Lincoln Memorial. The Bulldogs host Tusculum Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. Limestone returns home to face Conference Carolinas foe Lees-McRae Saturday at 2 p.m.