Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior guard Caroline Averette (Midlothian, Va.) scored 23 of her career-high 23 points after halftime, lifting the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind 68-54 South Atlantic Conference women's basketball victory over previously undefeated Carson-Newman University Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court.
 
Bulldog senior center Marta Miscenko (Riga, Latvia) had her 21st career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while junior guard Taylor Helms (Monroe, N.C.) had a career-high 13 points off the Wingate bench. For the NCAA number four Eagles, sophomore guard Kayla Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.) had 20 points and 11 rebounds.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Wingate 68, #4 Carson-Newman 54
Records: Wingate 13-3 overall (7-2 SAC), #4 Carson-Newman 16-1 overall (8-1 SAC)
Location: Cuddy Arena and Thomas Koontz Family Court, Wingate, N.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-Wingate outscored Carson-Newman 33-10 in the pivotal fourth quarter, erasing a nine-point deficit after three quarters of play.
-Averette hit 10-of-10 free throws including eight-of-eight in the final 34 seconds.
-Miscenko hit seven-of-10 field goals and blocked a game-high four shots.
-After hitting 47.1 percent (eight-of-17) from the floor in the first quarter, Carson-Newman hit only 27.3 percent of its field goal tries the rest of the way (12-of-44).
-Carson-Newman junior guard Briana Smith (Nashville, Tenn.) added 11 points and a team-best three assists for the visitors.
-Kayla Marosites hit seven-of-14 field goals and five-of-10 from three-point range on her way to her 20-point night. She fouled out with 6:24 to play. The score was tied 49-49 when she left the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Wingate shot only 27.3 percent from the floor in the first quarter (three-of-11). Miscenko scored all seven of the Bulldogs' points in the frame. She was three-of-four from the floor in the period, while her teammates were zero-of-seven. Four different Eagles scored in the first 10 minutes with Smith notching eight points. Her jumper with 1:06 left finished the first-quarter scoring and gave Carson-Newman a 20-7 advantage.
 
Second quarter
 
Carson-Newman took its biggest lead of the evening at 30-15 with three minutes left, thanks to a jumper by sophomore guard Kelci Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.). Helms hit her first three-pointer of the evening on the next possession. Wingate trailed 30-19 at intermission. Marosites led the Eagles with 14 first-half points, while Miscenko (seven points) and Helms (six points) topped the Bulldog charts.
 
Third quarter
 
Carson-Newman led 35-21 on a jumper by junior forward Mika Wester (Newport, Tenn.) with 7:09 to go in the third quarter. Wingate scored seven unanswered points to cut the deficit in half on two Miscenko free throws with 4:21 left. The charity tosses made the score 37-30 Eagles. The visitors pushed their lead back to 12 before Averette converted a traditional three-point play with 27 seconds to go. The three-point play finished the third quarter scoring and left Carson-Newman with a 44-35 advantage.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Averette scored 18 of her 23 points in the fourth frame. Carson-Newman junior guard Haris Price (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) started the fourth quarter scoring with a three-pointer (9:48) to give the visitors a 47-35 advantage. The Bulldogs responded with a 16-2 run to take a 51-49 lead on a Helms lay-up with 5:56 remaining.
 
The Eagles tied the score on the next possession, but Helms stepped up again with a three-point field goal (4:50) to give the Bulldogs the lead for good at 54-51. Price responded with an inside hoop on the other end, but the visitors would score only one point in the final four minutes. The final margin was Wingate's largest lead of the afternoon.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Wingate made 11-of-16 field goals in the fourth quarter (68.8 percent) to mount its comeback. The Bulldogs also drained nine-of-nine free throws (all by Averette) in the final 10 minutes.
 
NOTABLES
 
-Wingate has won nine consecutive games against Carson-Newman. The Eagles' last win over the Bulldogs was a 56-50 decision on March 2, 2013 in Jefferson City, Tenn.
-The Bulldog defense held the high-scoring Eagles to a season-low point total. Previously, Carson-Newman had 71 points in a 71-65 SAC victory at Newberry Dec. 2.
-Miscenko has 21 career double-doubles. A transfer from ETSU, Kayla Marosites has six double-doubles in her first year with the C-N Eagles.
-Kayla Marosites hit 50 percent of her field goals Saturday. Her eight teammates who participated made only 27.7 percent (13-of-47).
-Wingate is 9-0 at home this season. The Bulldogs have won 16 in a row at home (dating to the 2016-17 season), the ninth-longest streak in the nation.
 
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate head women's basketball coach Ann Hancock: "What a great college basketball game! Carson Newman is a very good team with talented players who play hard. Being at home today was definitely a part of it…having the crowd on our side helped shift the momentum. Caroline Averette had a tremendous second half. Both Taylor Helms and (junior center) Zasha Barrett (Monroe, N.C.) gave us clutch plays and big minutes. I was very proud of our defensive effort…holding them to 54 points allows us to be in the game."
 
ON THE HORIZON

Wingate begins a three-game road swing Wednesday, visiting Coker for a 6 p.m. contest. Carson-Newman hosts local rival Lincoln Memorial Wednesday at the same time.

Press Conference




4th Quarter Highlights