Women's Basketball | 3/9/2017 3:37:00 PM

Columbus, Ga.----The second-seed Wingate University Bulldogs commence their quest for the program's first national title when they face the seven-seed King University Tornado in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional quarterfinal round from the Lumpkin Center on the Columbus State University (CSU) campus Friday afternoon (live statistics, live video). Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m. The Southeast Region bracket is hosted by number one seed CSU with the winner of this match-up to face either Lincoln Memorial or Clayton State in the semifinal round Saturday.
 
NCAA number 21 Wingate enters post-season play at 25-5 overall after winning its second straight South Atlantic Conference tournament championship over (then) 11th-ranked Lincoln Memorial last weekend. King is 25-6 overall and enjoying its first Conference Carolinas title in program history with a victory over 22nd-ranked Limestone.
 
"King is a talented, well-coached team who is playing great basketball," Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock says. "They force teams to do things they do not normally do, so we will need to be aggressive and execute."
 
Wingate is led by junior center and first team All-SAC selection Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia), who enters NCAA play averaging 13.9 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. Miscenko ranks near the top of the SAC individual standings including; second in rebounds per game, first in total blocked shots (71), second in total rebounds (294), third in total offensive rebounds (105) and third in defensive boards (189).
 
The University of Texas El Paso transfer averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Bulldogs' three victories in the SAC tournament, posting two double-double performances with a 16-point and 11-rebound game versus Lenoir-Rhyne in the quarterfinal round.
 
WU sophomore forward/guard and second team All-SAC honoree Danasia Witherspoon (Hickory, N.C.) put together a stand-out season for the 'Dogs, averaging 13.9 markers and 6.4 boards through 28 starts (29 games).
 
The Hickory High School graduate is second on the team with a 51.0 percent field goal clip and sixth overall in the SAC with her season shooting percentage. Witherspoon leads the Bulldogs and is listed seventh in the league with 46 total steals. She is sixth in the conference individual standings with 85 total offensive rebounds.
 
Witherspoon earned the SAC Tournament MVP award due to her back-to-back stellar performances in Greenville, S.C. last weekend. She posted 12 points on five-of-11 shooting in the semifinal match-up versus Catawba, while tallying 18 points and seven boards in the SAC Championship game.
 
The Wingate bench continues to play a major factor in the Bulldogs' successes this season, led by sophomore guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) who compiled consecutive double-digit scoring performances in the quarterfinal and semifinal contests last week. Averette had 15 points versus Lenoir-Rhyne and 14 markers on four-of-seven shots (57.1 percent) against Catawba. She also contributed seven points seven points and five rebounds in the SAC title game.
 
WU senior forward Kristina Rumplasch (Mount Airy, N.C.) and senior guard Shelby Tricoli (Waynesville, N.C.) contributed 7.8 and 7.3 points per game on the season, respectively. Rumplasch scored a career-high 21 points in the SAC Championship to lead Wingate to its ninth league crown in program history. One of three WU student-athletes to start 30 of 30 games this season, Tricoli eclipsed the 1000-point plateau this year.
 
For King, the Tornado are making the first NCAA Division II national tournament appearance in program history. They are led by senior guard and first All-Conference Carolinas selection Whitney Mitchell (Oak Ridge, Tenn.), who leads her team with 12.4 points per contest with a 43.2 total shooting percentage. Sophomore guard and third team all-conference honoree Sheena Johnson (Bristol, Tenn.) contributes 9.9 markers through 31 games.
 
Senior guard Jalan Harper (Knoxville, Tenn.) and senior center Ashley Albertson (Kenmore, Wash.) add 7.9 and 7.6 points per game, respectively. Harper is second in the conference with 2.5 steals per game, while posting a team-leading 79 total steals on the season. Albertson leads the Tornado with a 47.9 field goal clip and is second on the team with a 46.2 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Emily Kizer (Elizabethton, Tenn.) contributes 7.2 points per contest on 38.6 percent shooting.
 
"King has size and athleticism combined with shooters, which makes them difficult to defend," Hancock says. "Playing these types of teams is what the tournament is all about. Every team is good and capable of making a run in March."
 
Wingate is fourth in the SAC with 71.1 points per game as a team, while leading the league with a 44.6 team field goal percentage. The Bulldogs rank second in total rebounds per contest (42), slightly behind Lincoln Memorial who averages 44.3 boards through 30 games played.
 
King averages 74.5 markers per game, ranking fourth in the Conference Carolinas. They place third overall in the league team standings with a 44.6 percent field goal clip, while also ranking third in rebounds per game (42.0).
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a dominant 81-61 victory over (then) 11th-ranked Lincoln Memorial in the SAC Championship game. Wingate led by as many as 24 points with 4:47 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the floor (25-of-50), while posting a 57.1 percent shooting performance from three-point range (four-of-seven). In addition, the 'Dogs held LMU to only 33.3 percent shooting (22-of-66) and 25 percent from beyond the arc (three-of-12).
 
King posted its first-ever victory over an NCAA ranked opponent with a tight 77-76 triumph versus (then) 22nd-ranked Limestone College in the program's first conference title conquest. The win was also King's first-ever victory over Limestone as they were 0-16 against the Saints entering the tournament. The Tornados' 25 victories are the most since winning 28 contests in the 1990-91 season.
 
Albertson led her team with 18 points in the contest on seven-of-14 shots (50 percent), while Harper added 13 markers. Mitchell and junior guard Sydney Harris (Crab Orchard, Ky.) tallied 11 points each for King. Freshman center Kori West (Shelby, N.C.) totaled 14 points coming off the bench.
 
BULLDOG NOTES
 
Wingate leads the SAC with 15 appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament. The Bulldogs have an overall NCAA tourney record of 15-15 with Elite Eight appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2008. Wingate has won 11 SAC regular season championships and nine SAC tournament crowns.
 
The Southeast Region field is hosted by the Columbus State Cougars (28-1) as they will face the eight-seed Anderson Trojans (21-7). Four-seed Limestone (27-4) takes on the fifth-seed Lander University Bearcats (24-7), while third-seed Lincoln Memorial (26-4) and the sixth-seed Clayton State University Lakers (24-6) go to battle.
 
The Wingate University women's basketball team is number 21 in the final regular season WBCA NCAA Division II top 25 coaches' poll. The Bulldogs (25-5 overall) are ranked for the second time this season.
 
Wingate is one of four Southeast Region tournament participants listed in the top 25. Columbus State (28-1 overall) is number four, while Lincoln Memorial (26-4 overall) and Limestone (27-4 overall) are 13th and 22nd, respectively. Ashland (31-0 overall) is the consensus number one team, followed by Alaska-Anchorage, California Baptist, Columbus State and Drury rounding out the top five (NCAA interactive bracket; NCAA press release).
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,200 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 10 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 88 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 88 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 97 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 
(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.)