Harrogate, Tenn.----Wingate University graduate student point guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) hit a lay-up with one second to play, lifting the visiting Bulldogs to a 71-69 South Atlantic Conference women's basketball triumph over NCAA Division II number five Lincoln Memorial University Saturday afternoon in Tex Turner Arena. Wingate avenges a double-overtime loss to the Lincoln Memorial in December and derails LMU's 20-game winning streak.
 
Wingate collects its sixth consecutive victory to improve to 17-4 overall and 13-3 in the SAC. Lincoln Memorial falls for the first time this season, slipping to 20-1 overall and 15-1 in the SAC. The WU Bulldogs host Queens University of Charlotte Wednesday at 6 p.m. LMU returns home to host local rival Tusculum College the same day and the same time.
 
For Wingate, sophomore forward/guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) led all scorers with 20 points. Sophomore guard Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) had 11 points, while junior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) and sophomore center Zasha Barrett (Monroe, N.C.) had 10 points each.
 
Neely flirted with a triple-double, as she filled up her statistical ledger with eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The Mallard Creek High School product notches her second game-winning shot, as she hit the decisive hoop with four seconds left in overtime to give Wingate a 54-52 SAC victory at Coker on Feb. 19, 2014.
 
"Today was a big game for us," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "…to go into a tough environment and win on the road against an undefeated and number five-ranked team will be a story to tell and remember."
 
"We had several players step up and make impart important contributions," Hancock says. "Zasha and Courtney did a great job off the bench. Danasia and Amber were huge as well. Amber did some of everything-rebounding, defending and finding open players…not to mention the game-winning shot. LMU did a tremendous job on the boards. In comparison to last game, we converted from the foul line."
 
For Lincoln Memorial, two student-athletes posted double-doubles. LMU senior forward Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) had 17 points and 15 rebounds, while senior center Josey Harding (Middletown, Ohio) contributed 15 points and 10 boards. The 'Splitters outrebounded the Bulldogs 37-25, only the second time this season Wingate has lost the battle of the boards. LMU junior guard Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.) and redshirt junior guard Karsen Sims (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) had 14 points and 12 points, respectively.
 
Wingate made six of its last eight field goals to take the hard-fought road victory. Lincoln Memorial matched the defending SAC tournament champion Bulldogs step-for-step, hitting five of its last seven from the floor. Wingate did not trail for the final 18 minutes and 36 seconds, but the host Railsplitters made things very interesting.
 
The Bulldogs led by as many as seven early in the fourth frame and maintained a 67-62 margin on a Witherspoon jumper with 2:31 remaining in regulation. The Railsplitters quickly tied the contest, thanks to a Harding follow shot (2:08) and a Pittman three-point field goal (1:37). Neely gave Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad visitors a 69-67 edge when she hit two free throws with 38 ticks left on the clock.
 
Wingate fouled Coker 20 seconds later and she made both charity tosses to tie the game for only the second time (and the second time in the final 97 seconds). Coker hit the game-winning jumper with four seconds remaining in the second overtime period of LMU's 84-83 December victory at Wingate. After Coker's two made free throws, the Bulldogs called a 30-second timeout to set the stage for Neely's heroics.
 
Wingate hit 50.9 percent of its field goals (30-of-59), including 68 percent after intermission (17-of-25). Lincoln Memorial made 42.9 percent of its field goal attempts (24-of-56). The Bulldogs fared well in the specialty statistics categories, holding an edge in points in the paint (30-22), points off turnovers (18-4) and bench points (25-9). The Railsplitters parlayed their rebounding margin into a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points.
 
In the first quarter, the host Railsplitters made a 16-2 run to turn a 6-5 deficit into a 21-8 lead with 89 seconds left on the first quarter clock. Pittman concluded the flurry with a three-point field goal. Five LMU players scored in the run, led by Pittman with five markers. Lincoln Memorial led 21-10 at the conclusion of the first frame.
 
Witherspoon finished an 8-0 Wingate movement to cut the Bulldog deficit to 23-20 with 6:54 left in the second stanza. The visitors outscored their Tennessee hosts 20-12 in the second quarter to cut the halftime deficit to 33-30.
 
Witherspoon led the 'Dogs with eight first-half points. Miscenko and Barrett had six points each. Coker led the hosts with eight points, while Pittman contributed seven markers in the opening 20 minutes. The 'Splitters hit four-of-11 triples in the first half (including three in the 16-2 first quarter run), while Wingate missed both of its first half three-point tries (zero-of-two).