Anderson, S.C.----Anderson University senior guard/forward Jasmine Franklin (Simpsonville, S.C.) and freshman guard Alexy Mollenhauer (Lindale, Texas) combined for 46 points and 17 rebounds to lead the host Trojans to a huge 84-79 triumph over number 25 Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action from the Abney Center on the AU campus Saturday afternoon.
Both Trojan student-athletes nearly posted double-doubles with Franklin tallying 24 points and eight rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting (66.7 percent). Mollenhauer had 22 points and nine boards for Anderson. Wingate sophomore forward/guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bulldogs.
Wingate's 11-game win streak comes to an end at 22-5 overall and 18-4 in the SAC. The Bulldogs concluded the regular season winning 16 of 18 contests. Anderson improves to 21-5 overall and 18-4 in league play. Wingate returns home to Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court this Wednesday for the SAC Tournament Quarterfinals at 6 p.m. versus Lenoir-Rhyne. The 'Dogs will be the three seed, while LRU was named the six seed. Anderson will also host the first round of the SAC Tournament as a two seed versus Catawba. Tip-off is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
"Anderson is a very good team who is playing their best basketball at the right time of the year," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "They came out exceptionally hot. Today was their Senior Day and a lot was riding on the game. I was proud of how we fought and battled to come back and take the lead. Hopefully, we can bounce back quickly for the tournament."
Three teammates joined Witherspoon in double figures. Sophomore guards Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) and Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) added 13 points each, while graduate student guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) posted 10 points and a game-high five assists.
Along with Franklin and Mollenhauer's stellar performances, Anderson senior guard Heather Jankowy (Walhalla, S.C.) contributed 17 points for the hosts with a game-high three made baskets from beyond the arc (three-of-seven). Senior guard Nakia Young (Taylors, S.C.) added 13 points on four-of-five shots (80 percent).
Wingate slightly outrebounded Anderson 39-34, while the WU bench outscored the Anderson reserves by a commanding 34-7 margin. The Bulldogs converted 19 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance baskets. Wingate also capitalized on 13 AU mistakes with 16 points off turnovers.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the opening quarter with Anderson jumping out to the 16-9 advantage with 3:10 on the clock. A three-pointer from AU freshman guard Madison Baggett (Huntsville, Ala.) gave the Trojans their first double-digit lead of the contest at 22-11 with 1:10 left. Anderson held the 11-point advantage at the break between quarters.
Anderson maintained the double-digit lead until 5:05 left in the second stanza when a lay-up from Robinson made it a nine-point game (30-21). A Young three-point field goal extended the Trojans' margin out to 10 points (39-29) with 46 seconds left in the first half of play. WU senior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) hit a lay-up to make it an eight-point game with 14 ticks on the clock. AU led 39-31 at the halftime intermission.
The host Trojans led by double figures for the entire third quarter, leading by as many as 19 points (58-39) with 2:04 in the stanza. Wingate would get no closer than 10 points in the frame. The Bulldogs trailed 60-46 entering the final quarter of play.
With Wingate trailing by 16 points (62-46) with 9:47 in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs used a 10-0 run to trim the deficit down to six points (62-56) on a Rumplasch basket at the 7:22 mark. Anderson continued to hold on to the narrow margin until the 'Dogs cut the lead down to one point (66-65), thanks to a lay-up from Witherspoon with 4:53 remaining.
A two-point jumper from Witherspoon knotted the score at 71-71 with 2:47 on the clock. Wingate would grab its first lead of the contest since the 7:14 mark of the first quarter on a lay-up from Neely to make the score 73-71 visitors with 2:35 to play. A basket and free throw from Franklin gave Anderson the go-ahead score to regain the 74-73 advantage with 2:23 remaining.
Anderson would not let go of the advantage from this point forward, leading by as many four points down the stretch. An Averette two-pointer trimmed the WU deficit to 80-79 with 16 seconds left in regulation; however, Franklin nailed back-to-back clutch free throws to extend the AU lead out to 82-79 two seconds later. Mollenhauer would hit two more charity tosses with three seconds remaining to secure the five-point victory.
"Our defense will certainly need to be better from the start," Hancock says. "Danasia played a great game. Anderson tried to keep the ball out of the paint, but she found ways to score or get to the line."
The Trojans shot 53.7 percent from the floor (29-of-54), compared to Wingate's 43.7 percent field goal clip (31-of-71). Anderson hit six-of-19 shots from beyond the arc (31.6 percent), while the Bulldogs were four-of-11 from three-point range (36.4 percent). Witherspoon was eight-of-11 from the charity stripe, while Averette was a perfect three-for-three from the line.
(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.)
