Greeneville, Tenn.-—-Wingate University juniors Hannah Clark and Bryanna Troutman combined for 44 points Wednesday afternoon, leading the short-handed Bulldogs to a 66-62 victory at Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action. Wingate wins their 12th consecutive contest, improving to 12-1 overall and 10-0 in the SAC, while the Pioneers fall to 5-9 and 3-7 in league play.
 
KEY STATS
 
- Wingate shot 41 percent from the field; Tusculum shot 36 percent
- The 'Dogs hit five-of-13 (39 percent) threes; the Pioneers were 10-of-33 (30 percent) from distance
- TU held a 39-33 rebounding advantage, but Wingate held the 8-7 edge in second-chance points
- The Bulldogs scored 15 points off 16 Pioneer turnovers
- Tusculum scored nine points off Wingate's season-low 12 turnovers
- WU was 15-of-17 at the free throw line (88 percent); TU went 10-of-13 at the line (77 percent)
- The 'Dogs had eight steals compared to the Pioneers' four
- The Bulldogs had the only block of the afternoon
- Wingate outscored Tusculum 25-12 in the third quarter
- The Pioneers led by 12 at halftime
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Clark poured in a career-high 26 points with six assists and five rebounds
- The junior added four steals and was a perfect 10-for-10 at the foul line
- Troutman chipped in 18 points and six rebounds on eight-of-13 shooting
- Haleigh Brandon contributed seven points and 11 rebounds
- MaeOla Willis had seven points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals
 
NOTES
 
- Wingate moves to 35-15 all-time versus the Pioneers
- The Bulldogs are 15-8 in Greeneville all-time
- Clark's 26 points topped her previous career best of 21 points vs Mars Hill as a freshman
- Marks her third game of 20+ points in her career; second in the last three games
- Troutman has scored 18 or more points in six of the last eight games
- Brandon's seventh consecutive game grabbing double-digit rebounds
- Career-high in points for the senior Willis
- 12th consecutive win for WU, matching their streak in January-February 2018
- Wingate matches their season-low in turnovers committed (12, Dec. 1 vs Limestone)
- The 'Dogs' 88 percent at the free throw line is a season-high
 
FIRST QUARTER
 
- Tusculum opened with a three-pointer before Jaia Wilson answered with a trey of her own
- The Bulldogs answered another TU three with an 8-0 run to take an 11-6 lead with 4:30 remaining
- The Pioneers matched with a 12-0 run over the next four minutes
- Jalia Arnwine's three-pointer gave Tusculum an 18-11
- Brandon's three with three seconds remaining cut the Wingate deficit to four at the quarter break
 
SECOND QUARTER
 
- TU scored seven of the first nine points of the second quarter
- Deidre Chermond's three gave the Pioneers a nine-point lead with 5:24 remaining
- A Troutman layup cut the Bulldog deficit to six with four minutes left
- Tusculum finished the half on a 9-3 run, as Mya Belton's free throws brought the lead to 34-22 at the midway point
 
THIRD QUARTER
 
- Wingate scored the opening two buckets in the second half
- Troutman's jumper cut the deficit to 34-26
- Following an Arnwine triple, the 'Dogs embarked on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 37
- Clark accounted for six of the points in the spurt
- Brandon's and-one with 6:21 remaining leveled the score
- Troutman's jumper with 2:34 remaining gave Wingate a 45-44 lead, its first since it led 11-8 in the first quarter
 
FOURTH QUARTER
 
- Ilene Hurley's bucket and Clark's free throws gave the 'Dogs a five-point lead
- The Pioneers answered with a quick 7-1 run to take a one-point lead with 6:15 remaining
- The lead changed hands in each of the next three possessions as Clark's three gave WU a 57-55 lead
- Clark answered a Belton jumper with another three, which was then answered by another Arnwine triple, tying the game at 60 with 3:35 remaining
- Clark's fastbreak layup broke the tie, just for Chermond's layup to match the score at 62 with 1:21 left
- Clark knocked down the go-ahead free throws with 35 seconds remaining
- After a 10-second violation on Wingate after a timeout, the Pioneers' three-point try with six seconds remaining proved off the mark
- Securing the winning rebound, Clark iced the game with two more free throws
 
UP NEXT
 
- The 'Dogs continue their road trip, paying a visit to the Coker Cobras on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m.
- Wingate returns to Cuddy Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 19, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne