Greenville, S.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball team rallied from a 10-point deficit with 6:48 left in the fourth quarter to take a 57-54 South Atlantic Conference tournament semifinal triumph over Catawba College Saturday at Furman University's Timmons Arena. The Bulldog bench outscored the Catawba Indian substitutes 32-12 on the way to the team's 24th triumph this season.
 
The Bulldogs finished the game on a 15-2 flurry, improving to 24-5 overall with the come-from-behind victory. Number three seed Wingate will face top-seed and NCAA number 11 Lincoln Memorial University (26-3 overall) in Sunday's 1 p.m. championship contest. Catawba concludes the 2016-17 season 16-13 overall.
 
"Today's game was certainly not pretty, but we came through when we needed it," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "We did not quit fighting when things weren't going well. This team has an amazing resiliency."
 
Wingate sophomore guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) led the 'Dogs with 14 points. She filled out her stat sheet with seven rebounds and a team-best (tying) four assists. Sophomore forward/guard Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) and senior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) had 12 points each. Witherspoon was named to the All-SAC second team earlier this week.
 
For Catawba, first team All-SAC performers Bri Johnson (Statesville, N.C.) and Terri Rogers (Burlington, N.C.) combined for 34 points. In her final collegiate game, Johnson had a game-high 21 points on eight-of-12 shooting from the floor. Rogers posted 13 markers. Indian freshman guard Madison Hallman (Thomasville, N.C.) chipped in seven points off the Catawba bench.
 
"Caroline and (sophomore guard) Courtney Robinson (Taylors, S.C.) made some huge shots and plays down the stretch," Hancock says. "I thought Shelby was an important factor as well. Throughout the season, we have had different players step up when we needed them to do so. Today was no different."
 
Catawba led 52-42 with 6:48 left. The Indians did not make a field goal the rest of the game. Catawba was zero-for-seven from the field and committed five turnovers during this time frame. The Indians also missed four free throws down the stretch.
 
Wingate put together a 13-0 run to take a 55-52 lead on a Robinson hoop following a huge Averette offensive rebound with 94 seconds left on the clock. An Averette lay-up (from a Robinson dish) with 2:16 remaining gave the 'Dogs the lead (53-52) for the first time since the four-minute mark of the first frame.
 
Rogers made two free throws with 31 seconds to go, making the score 55-54 Wingate. After a Bulldog turnover, the Indians had a chance to take the lead with two free throws. Catawba missed them both and Wingate hit two-of-four charity tosses in the final 11 seconds to settle the final margin.
 
Catawba still had a chance after the two missed free throw attempts, but junior guard Serena Brown (Ft. Washington, Md.) was called for traveling with eight seconds left. The Bulldogs added their final free throw with seven seconds to play. Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer to tie was short.
 
Both teams posted 32 rebounds with WU first team All-SAC center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) leading both teams with 11 boards. Brown had seven rebounds to top the Catawba charts. She also had a game-high nine assists. Brown filled out her ledger with four points and two steals.
 
The Indians made only three-of-14 (21.4 percent) of its fourth quarter field goal attempts, missing six-of-six from long distance in the final frame. Catawba made two-of-six free throws in the fourth. On the other end, Wingate drained six-of-10 field goals in the last quarter (60 percent) with a 40.8 percent conversion rate for the game. The Indians managed only 33.9 percent shooting for the afternoon (21-of-62).  
 
(Catawba College Senior Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications Jim Lewis contributed information to this story.)