Anderson, S.C. —- Wingate University freshman guard Emily Hege poured in a career-high 25 points on nine-of-15 shooting from the field on Wednesday night, as the Wingate women's basketball team went on the road and defeated Anderson University 90-81 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action. The Bulldogs improve to 7-1 overall and 1-1 in the SAC, while the Trojans drop to 6-5 overall and 1-1 in league play.

KEY STATS
- Wingate shot 50 percent from the field; Anderson made 38 percent of its shots
- The Trojans were 11-for-24 (46 percent) from three-point range, while the Bulldogs were four-of-11 (36 percent) from deep
- WU was 26-of-32 (81 percent) from the free throw line; AU went 18-for-26 (69 percent) from the charity stripe
- The 'Dogs out-rebounded the Trojans 42-37
- Wingate turned 12 Anderson turnovers into 18 points, while committing just 11 turnovers, leading to 13 points for the Trojans
- The 'Dogs dominated in the paint, out-scoring AU 44-14
- WU's highest scoring output this season, scoring at least 19 points in each quarter

KEY BULLDOGS
- Hege posted a career-high 25 points on nine-of-15 shooting from the field including three-for-four from deep
- Hannah Clark added 19 points and a game-high three steals
- Jaia Wilson chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists while going a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line
- Bryanna Troutman scored 12 points on just eight shot attempts
- Laura Kozo marked the fifth Bulldog to reach double figures with 10 points, adding six rebounds

FIRST QUARTER
- Hege scored the first two baskets for the Bulldogs as the sides remained even in the first couple minutes of action
- The freshman added two three-pointers before the halfway point of the quarter, matching Anderson's total scoring of 10 points in just the opening four minutes and five seconds
- Following a back-and-forth start offensively, the defense settled in with no field goals from either side for nearly two and a half minutes
- Martyna Radzicka buried a three-pointer for the Trojans in the final minute, taking a slim 20-19 lead after 10 minutes

SECOND QUARTER
- Wingate went on an 8-0 run over two minutes of the early second quarter, turning a two-point deficit into a 27-21 lead at the 7:33 mark
- Troutman's layup put the 'Dogs up nine with six minutes to go
- The WU advantage grew to 36-24 after Hege's and-one layup at the 4:24 mark
- Anderson scored seven of nine points down the stretch to cut their deficit to seven at the halftime break

THIRD QUARTER
- Clark scored the first two buckets out of the second half, pushing Wingate's lead to 11 two minutes in
- The Trojans scored five straight points in less than 30 seconds to nearly cut their deficit in half
- WU responded with an 11-2 run, as the Bulldogs took a 53-39 at the 4:40 mark
- Clark's and-one – three of her 13 points in the quarter – extended the Wingate lead to 16
- A layup from AJ Davis got the Bulldog lead to a game-high 17 points, but a 16-6 AU run in the final two and a half minutes brought the lead back to within single digits

FOURTH QUARTER
- Kozo and Hege opened the final 10 minutes with back-to-back baskets to return the lead to 12 just over a minute in
- A personal 6-0 run from Wilson gave the 'Dogs some breathing room with a 77-61 lead with less than six minutes left
- Lauren Sullivan's three-pointer broke a two-minute WU scoring drought, but the defense held strong to keep the score at 80-64 under the four-minute mark
- The Trojans scored 11 points in the final two minutes to keep the margin close, but Wingate salted the game down the stretch to earn their first conference win of the season

UP NEXT
- Wingate heads to Myrtle Beach this weekend for a pair of matchups with Lander and #12 North Georgia
- The Bulldogs and Bearcats' tip on Sunday is set for 5 p.m.