VIDEO: Ann Hancock post game press conference

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) tallied 13 points and five rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to their seventh consecutive victory with a 56-42 triumph over Queens University of Charlotte in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action from Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court Wednesday evening. The seven-game win streak is the longest of the 2016-17 campaign for the Bulldogs.
 
Wingate is now 18-4 overall and 14-3 in the SAC. Queens is 4-18 overall and 4-13 in league play. The Bulldogs are back in action this Saturday for a SAC road encounter versus Brevard for a 2 p.m. tip-off. Queens travels to Mars Hill on the same day and time.
 
"A win is a win," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "I thought our effort was good, but we just did not finish and do as well as we have in many other games this season. I thought we did a nice job of forcing turnovers, but we need to capitalize more on those opportunities."
 
WU senior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) finished second on the Bulldog scoring charts with nine points, while her classmate Alex Tomlinson (Raleigh, N.C.) added eight points for the hosts. Sophomore forward Zasha Barrett (Monroe, N.C.) and sophomore guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) contributed six and five markers, respectively.
 
Wingate outrebounded Queens 33-30, while maintaining the 12-5 edge in the assist category. The Bulldogs outscored the Royals 36-26 in the paint and blanked Queens 12-0 in fast-break points. The WU bench outscored the Queens reserves by a 20-13 margin.
 
"I thought we missed some shots we normally make," Hancock says. "I thought Queens did a good job defending our post players and they came in with a good game plan. They scouted us well and were prepared with the type of plays we were going to run."
 
The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest, sprinting out to the early 15-2 advantage with 5:47 remaining in the opening quarter. A two-point jumper from Queens junior guard/forward Cheyenne Logan (Asheville, N.C.) trimmed the deficit down to nine points (15-6) at the 4:38 mark, but Wingate led by double digits for the remainder of the stanza. The 'Dogs led 23-11 at the break between quarters.
 
Wingate continued to maintain the double-digit advantage for the majority of the second frame, grabbing their largest lead of 17 points (31-14) on a basket from Barrett with 1:23 remaining in the first half. The two teams combined for a total of 15 points in the stanza. The hosts led 31-18 at the halftime intermission.
 
Queens would not get any closer than 14 points in the third quarter with Wingate leading by as many as 19. A jumper from Tricoli gave the 'Dogs a commanding 39-20 advantage with 7:03 on the clock. The Royals outscored the Bulldogs 10-8 in the final quarter, but it would not be enough as Wingate held on for the 14-point triumph.
 
Hancock's squad converted 22 points off 26 Queens turnovers, while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor (23-of-58). The Royals were 17-of-40 from the field (42.5 percent) in the contest. Miscenko led all student-athletes with four blocked with her team leading 11-5 in total steals. Witherspoon tallied four steals to lead both teams.
 
(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.)