VIDEO | Caroline Averette Interview

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs are the number two seed in this week's South Atlantic Conference Tournament, which gets underway Wednesday night. The Bulldogs will host the seventh-seeded Tusculum University Pioneers at 7 p.m. on ESPN3. Wingate enters postseason play at 20-7 overall, after going 15-5 in league play.

ABOUT THE GAME
Wednesday, March 6 | 7 p.m.
SAC Tournament Quarterfinals
Wingate (20-7; 15-5 SAC) hosts Tusculum (16-8; 8-8 SAC)
Wingate, N.C. (Cuddy Arena)
Watch on ESPN3
Live Stats
Championship Central

SERIES HISTORY

- Wingate leads the all-time series against Tusculum 31-12
- The Bulldogs are 16-6 against the Pioneers in Cuddy Arena
- WU swept the season series and has six straight wins over Tusculum
- Wingate prevailed 73-67 in Cuddy Arena in January
- The 'Dogs won 51-47 at Tusculum in overtime this past Saturday
- Wingate is 2-1 all-time against Tusculum in the SAC Tournament
- The last time they met in the SAC Tournament was the 2011 SAC title game
- The Pioneers won that contest 77-66
- The Bulldogs have won nine straight against Tusculum in Cuddy Arena
- Tusculum's last victory at Wingate came in January of 2010

SAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

- Wingate has won a league-record 10 SAC Tournament titles
- The 'Dogs won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017
- Wingate has won three of the last five tournament championships
- The Bulldogs have appeared in each of the last four SAC Tournament championship games

COACHES

- Ann Hancock is in her seventh season at Wingate
- She is 152-60 in her Wingate career, going 108-38 in league play
- Hancock has guided the 'Dogs to three SAC Tournament championships
- She has led Wingate to the NCAA Tournament in five of her six years
- Devan Carter is in his fourth season as the Tusculum head coach
- He has 55-51 record with the Pioneers

PREVOIUS MEETINGS THIS YEAR

- Wingate won 73-67 in Cuddy Arena in January
- Caroline Averette had 17 points and seven rebounds, hitting three-of-six triples
- Jo Snow added 15 points, also going three-for-six from beyond the arc
- Danasia Witherspoon had 12 points and 11 rebounds
- Jordan Quick contributed seven points, five boards and five assists
- Kendrea Duke piled up 19 points and 17 boards for Tusculum
- Mia Long had 18 points and six steals
- Callie Patterson added 14 points
- WU shot 38 percent from the field and hit seven-of-15 threes (47 percent)
- Tusculum shot 39 percent from the field, hitting six-of-22 from beyond the arc (27 percent)
- Wingate held a 49-36 rebounding advantage
- The 'Dogs won 51-47 this past Saturday at Tusculum
- Teliyah Jeter had 11 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks and four steals
- Averette contributed 15 points and eight rebounds
- Witherspoon added seven points and eight boards
- Duke had 11 points and eight rebounds
- Long had seven points, six assists, five steals and five rebounds
- WU shot 36 percent from the field; Tusculum shot 28 percent
- Wingate held the Pioneers to 19 points over the last 25 minutes
- Tusculum scored just two points in overtime, going one-for-nine from the field

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

- Wingate enters postseason play ranked fourth in the NCAA Southeast Region poll
- The Bulldogs are looking to make a sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament
- Wingate is 139-44 over the past six seasons, with 101-27 mark in SAC play
- The 'Dogs have reached the 20-win mark for the sixth straight year
- After starting the season 1-2, the Bulldogs reeled off five straight wins, capped by a 67-58 victory over #11 Carson-Newman
- A seven-game winning streak in January moved the 'Dogs to 15-4 on the season
- Wingate closed out the regular seasons with victories over Queens and Tusculum to reach the 20-win mark
- The 'Dogs lead the SAC and rank fourth nationally in rebounding margin (11.4)
- WU has outrebounded its opponents by double figures in 18 of 27 games
- The Bulldogs have only been outrebounded once this season
- Wingate ranks 17th nationally in offensive rebounding
- The 'Dogs are second in the SAC in scoring defense and third in field goal percentage defense
- Averette leads Wingate and is seventh in the SAC with 14.5 points per game
- She ranks seventh nationally in free throw percentage (89 percent)
- The senior is 10th in the SAC in field goal percentage and three-point percentage
- She has scored in double figures in 23 of 27 games this season
- Courtney Robinson is second on the team with 9.6 points per contest
- She has handed out a team-best 77 assists, ranking second with 42 steals
- Robinson is 12th in the SAC in field goal percentage
- Witherspoon averages 8.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game
- She ranks fourth in the league in rebounding and fifth in steals
- Quick contributes 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, shooting 46 percent from the field
- Snow is adding 7.7 points per contest, shooting 35 percent from three-point range while handing out 60 assists
- Jeter leads the SAC and ranks 15th in the nation with 2.8 blocks per game, adding 7.0 points and 7.2 boards per contest

ABOUT TUSCULUM

- The Pioneers are 16-8 overall after going 8-8 in league play
- Tusculum won six of its final eight regular season games to move into seventh in the SAC standings
- The Pioneers have two SAC Tournament championships
- TU is looking for its first tourney title since 2011
- The Pioneers rank fourth nationally in steals, fifth in turnovers forced and sixth in turnover margin
- Tusculum is also third nationally in three point field goal percentage defense
- TU leads the SAC in scoring defense
- Long leads the Pioneers with 12.3 points per game, shooting 45 percent from the field
- She leads the nation with 4.08 steals per game
- Long is sixth in the league with 3.4 assists per contest
- Yolizma Cupidan averages 11.3 points per game, knocking down 23 triples
- Duke averages 10.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest
- Patterson has hit 54 threes, averaging 10.5 points per game

UP NEXT

- The winner advances to the SAC Tournament semifinals Saturday
- The semis and finals take place at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.
- The winner of the Wingate-Tusculum will face the winner of the Carson-Newman vs. LMU game
- That semifinal contest is slated for Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
- The championship game will be Sunday at 1 p.m.