Women's Basketball | 2/17/2017 3:19:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs will play their final home contest of the 2016-17 campaign in a crucial South Atlantic Conference and Senior Day encounter versus Carson-Newman University from Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for a 2 p.m. start with the contest airing live on ESPN3. The C-N match-up will also feature the Bulldogs' annual Play4Kay and Jane's Sparkle game.
 
Wingate looks to extend its nine-game win streak at 20-4 overall and 16-3 in the SAC. Carson-Newman is 17-8 overall and 14-5 in league play. The C-N Eagles have been victorious in nine of their last 11 games. The Bulldogs currently hold the second-place in the SAC standings behind first-place Lincoln Memorial (22-2, 17-2 SAC). Wingate is ranked fifth in the first NCAA Division II Southeast Regional rankings of the season with Carson-Newman being the ninth-ranked squad.
 
"Saturday will be an emotional day," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "We have a lot going on and it's our seniors' last regular season home game. We will certainly have to play at a high level for them. Carson-Newman is a very talented team and they have numerous players who can put up big numbers. We will need to bring our best defensive game."
 
Wingate Players to Watch
 
Wingate senior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) currently sits at 995 career points entering Saturday's contest and will look to achieve a significant milestone in her final home game. Tricoli has started in 22 games for the Bulldogs in her final season, averaging 7.9 points per contest.
 
Two Bulldog student-athletes average double figures for the Bulldogs with junior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) leading the charge, averaging 14.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest.
Sophomore forward/guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) is second on the WU scoring charts with 14.1 markers and 6.5 boards per game.
 
Witherspoon has posted 13-plus points in seven of her last eight games. The Hickory High School product ranks fourth overall in the SAC with her 53.3 field goal percentage, fourth in total steals (40) and sixth in total offensive rebounds (67).
 
Miscenko has tallied 13 double-double performances on the season. She is listed third in the conference with her average rebound total. The University of Texas El Paso transfer is second in the SAC with her 64 blocked shots, third in offensive rebounds (93), third in defensive boards (140) and third in total rebounds (233). 
 
Sophomore guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) averages 8.6 points per contest and continues to lead the SAC with her 53.8 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Senior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) contributes 7.5 markers through 20 games played.
 
Carson-Newman Players to Watch
 
C-N sophomore guard Mika Wester (Newport, Tenn.) ranks second overall in the SAC with her scoring average of 18.4 points per game, while also posting 6.5 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Kailyn Brooks (Lafayette, Tenn.) is second on the Eagles scoring list with 14.2 markers in 24 starts. Sophomore guard Briana Smith (Nashville, Tenn.) contributes 10.5 points per game.
Junior forward Katie Stubblefield (Alcoa, Tenn.) and sophomore guard Haris Price (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) add 8.1 and seven points per game, respectively.
 
"Carson-Newman does an outstanding job of getting the ball out quickly and attacking before the defense gets set," Hancock says. "We cannot give up easy baskets in the paint…keeping them off the glass will also be a key.
 
"Traditionally, they are a very good three-point shooting team, so getting matched up to contest with their shots from behind the line will be another point of emphasis," Hancock says. "Wester and Brooks are a great combination. They will command a lot of attention."
 
Wingate Coaches
 
The Bulldogs are led by fifth-year head coach Ann Hancock ('92), who returned to the Wingate campus for the 2012-13 season to coach her alma mater. She won her 100th game at the Wingate helm Wednesday versus Coker. Hancock has compiled a 238-201 career record (UNC Wilmington and Wingate), including mentoring her WU team to a 24-6 overall record in 2013-14 and 21-9 mark a season ago during the 2015-16 campaign. Wingate won the SAC Tournament championship in both seasons. 
 
Prior to returning to her alma mater, Hancock spent two seasons as an assistant women's basketball coach at East Carolina University. Before her tenure with the Pirates, Hancock was head women's basketball coach at UNC Wilmington for 10 seasons and was an assistant coach for eight seasons at UNC Chapel Hill for legendary head coach Sylvia Hatchell. She helped the Tar Heels win the 1994 NCAA Division I National Championship. 
 
Hancock is assisted by new full-time assistant women's basketball coach Celeste Stewart ('16, MASM), who spent her previous two seasons as a graduate assistant on the WU coaching staff. Stewart was a basketball student-athlete at East Carolina University. As a point guard for the ECU Pirates, Stewart was named to the first team All-C-USA as a senior. She will use her impressive basketball resume to help lead the Bulldogs to another successful season in 2016-17 and beyond. 
 
Katelyn Grisillo joined the Bulldog coach staff in the summer of 2016 after spending the previous two seasons as the point guard for the University of South Carolina Aiken Pacers. She started in 28 games her senior season. Prior to her arrival at USC Aiken, Grisillo was a student-athlete for the Division I Presbyterian College Blue Hose. Grisillo works with assistant coach Celeste Stewart and the post players.
 
Carson-Newman Coaches
 
The C-N Eagles are led by sixth-year head coach Mike Mincey, who has put together a very successful tenure in Jefferson City with a 93-63 career record. Before being promoted to the head coaching position, Mincey served three seasons as an assistant coach for Carson-Newman under previous head coach Dean Walsh. Mincey spent the 2005-06 campaign as an assistant with previous Eagle men's basketball coach Dale Clayton.
 
Prior to arriving at Carson-Newman, Mincey served successful stints at the Division I and high school levels. In 1996-97, he was the head basketball and baseball coach at Conway Christian School in Conway, S.C. From 2001-04, Mincey was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at East Tennessee State University. He is a 1996 graduate and men's basketball alumni student-athlete at King College in Bristol, Tenn.
 
Mincey is supported by first-year assistant coach Tatum Burstrom, a 2016 graduate and previous C-N women's basketball student-athlete for Mincey. Burstrom is ranked fourth all-time in SAC history with 254 made three-pointers and joined the Eagles' 1,000 career point club during her tenure. She was named to the All-SAC Freshman Team in 2012-13, All-SAC honorable mention in 2014-15 and earned second team honors for her senior season in the 2015-16 campaign.
 
Wingate's Last Game
 
Wingate head coach Ann Hancock claimed the 100th victory of her WU coaching career in a 75-62 triumph over Coker College this past Wednesday from Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs also clinched their 25th 20-win season in the program's illustrious senior college history.
 
Danasia Witherspoon led all scorers with 18 points on six-of-11 shooting from the floor. Witherspoon also shared the team lead with her seven rebounds. Kristina Rumplasch added 17 points, hitting six-of-10 field goals and a perfect five-of-five from the charity stripe. Caroline Averette contributed nine points on three baskets from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.
 
The Bulldogs scored 26 points off 18 Cobra turnovers, while Coker managed only 19 points off 16 Wingate mistakes. Wingate converted 15 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points. The Bulldog bench outscored the Cobra substitutes by a narrow 36-33 margin. Wingate outrebounded Coker 36-21, while leading 18-11 in the assist category.
 
Wingate hit 25-of-53 field goals (47.2 percent), while Coker made 26-of-52 attempts (50 percent). The Bulldogs dished out 18 assists, with graduate student guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) handing out nine. Neely nearly posted a triple-double with six points and six rebounds to go with her nine assists. The 'Dogs shot 50 percent from beyond the arc compared to Coker's 28.6 percent three-point field goal clip.
 
Carson-Newman's Last Game
 
The visiting C-N Eagles defeated the Tusculum Pioneers by a final score of 72-59 in a SAC rivalry showdown Wednesday night from Pioneer Arena. Carson-Newman outscored Tusculum 34-12 in the third quarter on the way to the victory. The Eagles shot 16-of-20 in the frame and have now won four consecutive games.
 
Mika Wester led the Eagles with 17 points, while Kailyn Brooks added 16 markers. Kaitlyn Cupples and Katie Stubblefield contributed 12 and 10 points coming off the bench, respectively.
 
Carson-Newman shot 45.6 percent from the floor (31-of-68) compared to Tusculum's 45.7 percent field goal clip (21-of-46). The Eagles outrebounded the Pioneers 38-28, while scoring 23 points off 22 Tusculum turnovers. C-N heavily outscored Tusculum 40-20 in the paint, while the Eagle bench outscored the Pioneer reserves 28-9.
 
Previous Meeting
 
The Wingate Bulldogs overcame a 15-point, third quarter deficit to complete an impressive 80-75 overtime victory over Carson-Newman on Jan. 7 from the Holt Fieldhouse on the C-N campus. Danasia Witherspoon posted her (then) fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the 'Dogs.
 
Senior guard Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.) collected a season-high 11 points on five-of-11 shooting with four rebounds and four assists. Caroline Averette added 14 points with five boards and five assists.
 
Marta Miscenko fell short of her (then) eighth double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. Kristina Rumplasch posted a (then) season-high 14 markers for the Bulldogs, while shooting 54 percent from the floor (six-of-11).
 
With C-N leading 59-50 with 9:01 in the fourth quarter, the Wingate Bulldogs used an 8-1 mini-run to trim the margin down to a one-point contest on a free throw from Witherspoon to make it a 60-59 Eagle advantage at the 6:41 mark. A three-pointer from Tomlinson tied the score up for the first time in regulation at 64-64 with 6:02 on the clock.
 
A two-point jumper from Tomlinson gave the Bulldogs their first lead at 66-64 with 3:06 to go. Three more lead changes and a tie would follow until Carson-Newman grabbed the late 71-69 lead on a lay-up from Wester with 40 seconds remaining. Another clutch two-point field goal from Tomlinson tied the contest up again at 71-71 with 19 seconds left in regulation to send the game to the overtime period.
 
Overtime would begin with the game-winning lay-up from WU sophomore guard Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) to give the visiting Bulldogs a 73-71 advantage with 4:55 on the clock. Wingate never let go of the lead for the remainder of the period.
 
Wingate shot 42 percent from the floor (31-of-73 shooting) compared to C-N's 44 percent from the field (28-of-64). The Bulldogs also shot 43 percent from three-point range (three-of-seven), while the Eagles were seven-of-17 from beyond the arc (41 percent).
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,200 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 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 10 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 88 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 88 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 97 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 
(Wingate University athletic media relations/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A sophomore from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate.)