Greenville, S.C.----The Wingate University used a 10-0 fourth-quarter run to get within two against top-seeded and 15th-ranked Anderson University, but the Trojans held on for a 62-60 victory in the championship game of the 2019 South Atlantic Conference women's basketball tournament in Timmons Arena. Anderson wins its 27th straight game to capture the title, improving to 29-2 overall. Wingate falls to 22-8 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Anderson shot 36 percent from the field, hitting five-of-22 from three-point range (23 percent)
- Wingate shot 38 percent from the field, going one-for-eight from beyond the arc (12 percent)
- Anderson held a 42-35 rebounding advantage and 10-6 edge in second-chance points
- The 'Dogs had just seven turnovers; the Trojans turned it over eight times
- Each team had five blocks; Wingate held a 5-4 advantage in steals
- AU was 17-for-21 at the free throw line; WU went 13-for-17

KEY BULLDOGS

- Caroline Averette had 17 points and six boards, going six-for-12 from the field
- Teliyah Jeter had 17 points, five blocks and five rebounds
- Courtney Robinson contributed 13 points
- Jordan Quick had five points and two boards; Danasia Witherspoon added four points and five rebounds

NOTES

- Wingate was appearing in its fourth straight SAC championship game
- The Bulldogs had won two of the last three SAC Tourney titles
- Regular season champion Anderson wins its first-ever SAC tournament title
- Second two-point victory for Anderson against Wingate this year; the first went to overtime
- Only the second time the 'Dogs have been out-rebounded this season; lost both games
- The 42 rebounds are the second-most the Bulldogs have allowed this season
- Wingate was credited with a season-low five assists Sunday
- WU's two lowest turnover totals this season both came against Anderson, including Sunday
- Career-high 17 points for Jeter
- 11th time this season Jeter has had at least four blocks including four straight
- Jeter blocked 22 shots in the three SAC Tournament games
- 25th double-digit scoring effort from Averette; 15th time scoring at least 15 points
- 15th time Robinson has scored in double figures this season

FIRST QUARTER

- Two early Averette buckets gave Wingate a 6-2 lead
- Threes from Alexy Mollenhauer and Cassie Ketchum tied it at 11 with 4:15 left
- Anderson used a 9-2 run to close the quarter, with Erika Martin's layup making it 20-13 heading to the second

SECOND QUARTER

- A layup and two free throws from Jeter got the Bulldogs within five with seven minutes left
- A three-point play from Ace Easter put Anderson on top 31-22 at the midway point of the quarter
- Jeter got WU back within five, but a Madison Baggett layup pushed the AU advantage back to nine at the 3:18 mark
- Easter's free throw with a minute left gave Anderson a 36-28 halftime lead

THIRD QUARTER

- Three Jordan Quick free throws and a Jo Snow bucket got Wingate within three early in the second half
- Anderson countered with a 9-0 run, taking a 51-39 lead on a pair of Mollenhauer free throws with 3:25 to go
- Wingate closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to get back within five
- Averette had seven points in the spurt, while Witherspoon's layup at the buzzer capped it

FOURTH QUARTER

- Ketchum's three at the 5:14 mark put the Trojans on top 60-48
- Wingate scored the next 10 points to get within two
- Jeter scored the first four points in the spurt, while buckets from Robinson and Witherspoon made it 60-56 with 2:45 left
- Jeter's layup with 36 seconds to go got the Bulldogs within two at 60-58
- Wingate got the stop and got the ball back with five seconds left
- Robinson was fouled, but missed the first free throw, then missed the second on purpose but did not hit the rim, giving it back to AU
- Taylor Hair's free throws with two seconds left made it 62-58
- Averette scored at the buzzer to make the final margin 62-60

UP NEXT

- Anderson gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will likely earn hosting duties in the Southeast Regional
- Wingate entered the week as the number four team in the region
- The Bulldogs will earn a sixth straight bid to the NCAA Tournament
- The NCAA Division II women's basketball selection show will air on NCAA.com Sunday night at 10 p.m.