Columbus, Ga.----Wingate University senior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) posted a game-high 18 points and hit four-of-four three-point field goals to lead four players in double figures as the number 21 Bulldogs collected a 75-55 triumph over King (Tenn.) University in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament in the Lumpkin Center. Wingate is 26-5 overall, while King concludes the season at 25-7 overall.

Wingate advances to the second round on Saturday. The Bulldogs will face number 13 Lincoln Memorial (27-4 overall) in Columbus State's Lumpkin Center. Wingate and LMU have played three times this season with the Bulldogs taking two victories.

Tricoli hit six-of-10 field goals Saturday as the Bulldogs shot 48.4 percent from the floor (30-of-62). Wingate made eight-of-11 three-point field goals (72.7 percent). Bulldog junior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high (tying) 10 rebounds. Sophomore guards Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) and Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) contributed 12 points each with two triples apiece.

For King, sophomore guard Kristen Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.) had 11 points off the Tornado bench. She hit a team-high three three-point field goals (in five tries). King senior center Ashley Albertson (Kenmore, Wash.) had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Conference Carolinas tournament champions hit only 33.3 percent of their field goals Saturday (21-of-63). The Tornado hoisted 26 three-point field goal attempts, hitting six (23.1 percent).

"Today was a big win," Wingate head coach Ann Hancock says. "King is a very good team who forces its opponents to score from the perimeter. I thought we did a nice job of not settling for the outside shot. Shelby, Caroline and Courtney hitting shots from the outside helped as well.  Our defensive effort was evident in holding their shooters below their averages. We look forward to advancing to the next round."
 
In the second quarter, Wingate shot 62.5 percent from the floor (10-of-16) as the Bulldogs turned an 18-17 first quarter edge into a 41-29 lead at intermission. The first two quarters featured three ties and 10 lead changes. Wingate took the lead for good on an Averette lay-up (on a Tricoli assist) with 8:36 to play in the second stanza, making the score 20-19 Bulldogs.
 
Wingate scored nine of the last 10 points of the second quarter. Miscenko had the first two baskets of the 9-1 run and Averette concluded the flurry with a triple at the 45-second mark to make the score 41-29 at the halftime break. Miscenko had 14 points and five rebounds at the break, while Averette had 10 points. Albertson led King with six points and five boards.
 
Tricoli hit a three-point field goal to start the second half (on a Miscenko dish) to nudge Wingate's margin to 15 points with 15 seconds gone. King would get no closer than 12 points the rest of the way. A Robinson triple made the score 58-39 Wingate with exactly three minutes left in the third. The Bulldogs nudged their lead to as many as 20 points in the waning moments.
 
Wingate outrebounded King 44-33 as Miscenko led the way with 10 caroms. Three Bulldogs had eight rebounds each. Both Miscenko and graduate student point guard Amber Neely (Charlotte, N.C.) flirted with triple-double performances. Miscenko added six assists to her 14-point, 10-board performance, while Neely filled out her stat sheet with seven points, eight rebounds and a game-high seven assists.