Box Score VIDEO: Postgame with Coach Hancock, Jordan Quick and Caroline Averette

Anderson, S.C.----The third-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs closed out the game on a 14-0 run Friday afternoon, defeating sixth-seeded Clayton State University 76-66 in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Southeast Regionals, hosted by Anderson University. Senior guard Caroline Averette poured in a career-high 27 points as Wingate improves to 23-8 overall, advancing to Saturday's regional semifinals. Clayton State ends its season at 21-10.

THOUGHTS FROM ANN HANCOCK

"Wow, what a crazy day. I'm excited for the seniors to be able to survive and advance. It wasn't pretty. Clayton State is a very talented team, they make you do things that are uncomfortable and they create a lot of havoc. In the end, we found a way to get it done, Caroline stepped up really big and Jo Snow made some plays, it was a total team effort. I think this team has been resilient all year long and they did it one more time. It was a crazy game. We got up, they came back and took the lead. I think the thing which stood out in my mind was just the resiliency of this team. They fought and didn't give up. We weathered the storm, made some big plays down the stretch and the seniors don't want this to end. They fought as hard as they could and fortunately, we came out on top."

THOUGHTS FROM CAROLINE AVERETTE

"We've been down before, we know how to come back. Having that experience I think helped us come back in the end. We didn't want to go home. I know us four seniors want this to last as long as it can, so we want to keep playing and we don't want this ride to end."

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 50 percent from the field, going one-for-seven from three-point range
- Clayton State shot 41 percent from the field, connecting on four-of-16 from beyond the arc
- The Bulldogs held a 42-33 rebounding advantage; CSU had a 15-13 edge in second-chance points
- The Lakers converted 27 Wingate turnovers into 29 points
- Clayton State piled up 15 steals; the Bulldogs had six steals
- CSU was 22-for-39 at the free throw line; Wingate was 21-for-27 at the line
- The 'Dogs doubled up the Lakers in the paint (40-20)
- Wingate held a 16-2 advantage in fast-break points

KEY BULLDOGS

- Averette led all scorers with 27 points, going 11-for-11 at the free throw line, adding seven boards and three assists
- Courtney Robinson added 15 points and four boards, going six-for-12 from the field
- Jordan Quick went five-for-seven from the field, collecting 11 points and five boards
- Danasia Witherspoon had seven points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals
- Jo Snow added six points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals

NOTES

- Wingate is making its SAC-best 18th NCAA Tournament appearance
- The Bulldogs improve to 20-17 in NCAA Tournament games
- WU and Clayton State are now 6-6 in 12 meetings all-time
- The 'Dogs are 4-0 against the Lakers in NCAA Tournament games
- Wingate advances to the regional semifinals for the third straight year and fourth time in five seasons
- The Bulldogs avenge their two-point loss at Clayton State on opening weekend
- Wingate has outrebounded its opponent in 29 of 31 games this season
- Career high 27 points for Averette
- Most points for any Wingate player this season
- 26th double-figure scoring effort from Averette this year; fifth 20-point game this season
- 16th double-figure scoring game for Robinson this season; third straight
- 13th time Quick has scored in double figures this season

FIRST QUARTER

- The 'Dogs scored the first seven points over the opening 2:15 of the game
- Robinson had a three-point play in the spurt while a Witherspoon layup capped it
- A jumper and three-point play from Averette gave the 'Dogs a 13-2 lead at the 3:27 mark
- Teliyah Jeter's layup gave the 'Dogs a 13-point advantage with 2:24 to go
- A Kelsei Towns bucket got CSU within eight in the final seconds of the quarter

SECOND QUARTER

- Buckets from Averette and Robinson put the 'Dogs back on top by 12 in the opening minute of the second quarter
- Robinson's layup at the 6:36 mark gave Wingate a 25-12 advantage
- Clayton State used an 11-2 run, with a Shaquuoria Miles bucket getting the Lakers within four at the 2:38 mark
- Buckets from Averette and Jasmine Stephen put the 'Dogs on top by six with a minute left in the half
- A three from Towns in the final minute cut Wingate's halftime advantage to three at 34-31

THIRD QUARTER

- Buckets from Quick and Jeter gave the Bulldogs a 44-38 advantage six minutes into the second half
- Madison Newby got the Lakers within two with a pair of free throws at the 2:35 mark
- A pair of Taylor Helms free throws pushed the lead back to three with eight seconds left
- Velencia Johnson's bucket in the final second got the Lakers within one heading to the fourth quarter

FOURTH QUARTER

- Buckets from Witherspoon and Averette stretched Wingate's lead to five 20 seconds into the final quarter
- Two Newby free throws got Clayton State within one with eight minutes to go
- Quick's three-point play pushed the advantage back to seven at 61-54
- Clayton State answered with a 9-0 run, taking a two-point lead at the 5:37 mark on a Takwana Bland layup
- Two Foster free throws at the 3:23 mark gave the Lakers a 66-63 advantage
- The 'Dogs closed out the game on a 13-0 run
- Snow tied it with a three, then assisted on Robinson's fastbreak layup to put WU on top with 2:23 left
- Free throws from Snow and Witherspoon pushed the lead to four with 41 seconds remaining
- Averette knocked down four free throws in a 10-second span, while Snow's free throws  with 13 seconds left finished it

UP NEXT

- Wingate is onto the regional semifinals Saturday at 5 p.m.
- The 'Dogs will face the winner of the North Georgia vs. Emmanuel game
- Every game in the NCAA Southeast Regional will be held at Anderson University