Wingate, N.C.-—-The Wingate University Bulldogs defeated host Coker University Cobras 69-58 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action on Wednesday night, earning their 13th consecutive win. The streak marks the program's longest in over 30 years. The Bulldogs improve to 13-1 overall and 11-0 in the SAC, the 'Dogs' best start to conference play in program history. The Cobras fall to 3-7 overall and 2-6 in league play.
 
KEY STATS
 
- Wingate shot 45 percent from the field; Coker shot 39 percent
- The Cobras shot seven-for-24 from three-point range (29 percent); the Bulldogs were three-of-12 from deep (25 percent)
- The 'Dogs enjoyed a 39-31 rebounding advantage, leading to an 11-7 edge in second chance points
- Coker forced 21 Wingate turnovers, which they converted into 19 points
- WU forced 18 Cobra turnovers, leading to 17 points
- The Bulldogs converted 20 of their 25 free throw attempts (80 percent); CU went three-for-seven from the charity stripe (43 percent)
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Bryanna Troutman poured in a career-high 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field, while adding nine boards
- Haleigh Brandon scored 14 points and grabbed 16 rebounds
- Lauren Sullivan registered six points, two rebounds and two assists
- Hannah Clark chipped in six points, two rebounds and three assists
- Ilene Hurley added four points and three rebounds
 
NOTES
 
- Marks the 13th win in a row for Wingate, their longest streak since winning 17 in a row to begin the 1990-'91 season
- At 11-0, the 'Dogs have reached their best start to conference play in program history
- Wingate moves to 16-2 all-time versus the Cobras
- The 'Dogs improve to 8-2 all-time in Hartsville
- The Bulldogs' opponents have scored 63 or fewer points in each of their last eight games
- Troutman's 31 points are the most by a Wingate player since Marta Miscenko scored 31 points vs Lenoir-Rhyne in January 2018
- WU did not trail for the final 36 minutes of the contest
 
FIRST QUARTER
 
- Coker opened the game with a three-pointer from Abigail Keesling
- The Cobras began the game up 5-1
- The 'Dogs answered with a 7-0 run, as Troutman's free throws put WU up 8-5
- After a CU three-pointer tied the game, Wingate scored the next five points
- The Bulldogs extended their lead to six at the quarter break, leading 18-12
 
SECOND QUARTER
 
- The teams traded three-pointers in the first 35 seconds of the second period
- Sullivan's three-pointer capped a 10-2 run with 7:13 remaining
- The trey gave the 'Dogs a 28-17 lead, their largest of the first half
- After the Cobras cut the lead to seven, Brandon's jumper made the score 30-21
- Coker went on a 6-0 run behind an and-one and a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 30-27
- The 'Dogs responded with the next four points, eventually taking a 31-26 edge to the halftime locker room
 
THIRD QUARTER
 
- Coker scored three of the first four baskets to start the second half, cutting their deficit to 38-37 with 7:57 remaining in the quarter
- Troutman and the Cobras traded baskets over the next couple of minutes, as the junior scored Wingate's first six points out of the break
- The Bulldogs' lead balanced between two and five points until under four minutes remaining in the quarter, when CU's 5-0 burst tied the game 47
- It had been the first time Wingate hadn't held the lead since the score was tied at 8 in the first quarter
- The 'Dogs answered with a 5-0 run of their own to take a 52-47 lead into the fourth quarter
 
FOURTH QUARTER
 
- WU scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, extending their run to 13-0 from the end of the third quarter
- Troutman scored 11 of the 13 points in the spurt, including the final 10
- The Cobras' 5-0 mini-run brought their deficit back within single digits with five minutes remaining
- Troutman answered the run with four consecutive points of her own
- Sullivan's three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining effectively ended any Coker comeback attempt
- Troutman scored 17 of the 'Dogs' final 22 points and personally outscored the Cobras 17-11 over the final 12 and a half minutes
 
UP NEXT
 
- The Bulldogs cap their four-game stretch away from home with a trip to Anderson to face the Trojans on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m.
- Wingate returns to Cuddy Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 19, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne at 5:30 p.m.