Charlotte, N.C.-—-The 22nd-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs claimed their first outright South Atlantic Conference title since the 2011-12 season on Saturday afternoon, as all 11 Bulldogs scored en route to a dominating 88-44 road victory over Queens University in SAC women's basketball action at Curry Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 23-4 overall and 21-3 in the conference, while the Royals end their season at 6-19 overall and 5-19 in league play.
 
KEY STATS
 
- Wingate shot 55 percent from the field; Queens made 25 percent of its shot attempts
- The Bulldogs were six-of-22 (27 percent) from three-point range, while the Royals went seven-for-31 (23 percent) from deep
- WU made 12 of its 14 free throw attempts (86 percent); QU was five-for-six (83 percent) from the charity stripe
- The 'Dogs dominated the glass with a 54-23 rebounding advantage
- Wingate outscored the Royals in the paint 52-12
- The Bulldogs turned 15 Queens turnovers into 23 points
- Wingate never lost its lead for the final 39 minutes of action
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Bryanna Troutman had a game-high 20 points on eight-of-12 shooting in 19 minutes
- Ilene Hurley added a career-high 13 points and seven rebounds
- Jaia Wilson chipped in 12 points and five assists
- Lauren Sullivan had eight points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals
- Haleigh Brandon pulled down a game-high 13 boards
 
NOTES
 
- Wingate's 13th regular season SAC title in program history
- The 'Dogs also have 10 tournament championships, giving WU 23 total SAC titles
- First since the 2013-14 season, when the 'Dogs shared the championship
- Second SAC regular season title under Coach Hancock
- Bulldogs' first outright regular season conference championship since 2011-12
- WU's +389 point differential in-conference was the highest of any SAC team
- The 'Dogs featured the top-scoring defense and the second-best offense
- Wingate was picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll
- The Bulldogs' 21 regular season conference wins are the most of any team in SAC history
- WU claims the No. 1 seed in the SAC Tournament
- The 'Dogs will host eight-seed Tusculum in Cuddy Arena Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
- Wingate looks to capture its first SAC Tournament title since 2017
- WU ranked first in the conference in fewest fouls overall and per game, free throws made and attempted, rebounding margin and three-point percentage
- The Bulldogs' +11.5 rebounding margin is tied for tops in the country
- Brandon claims the SAC rebounding title, grabbing 13.3 boards per game
- Sullivan's 44.7 three-point percentage ranked first in the league
- Troutman ranked third in the conference in scoring with 18.7
- The junior forward is 14 shy of 1,000 career points
 
FIRST QUARTER
 
- Peyton Davis's layup in the first minute gave Wingate a lead it would never lose
- An 11-0 run midway through the opening quarter put the Bulldogs up 17-3
- Kennedy Fuller's free throws before the end of the quarter cut the Queens' deficit to 13 points
 
SECOND QUARTER
 
- Wingate opened up the second quarter on a 15-3 run
- Jaxson Douglas's three-pointer put the Bulldogs up 36-11 at the 5:36 mark
- WU went on a 12-2 run before the half was over
- Sullivan's three-pointer gave the 'Dogs their largest lead of the half at 48-15
 
THIRD QUARTER
 
- Wingate's defense held Queens to under 10 points for the third consecutive quarter
- The Bulldogs opened the half on a 9-0 run, extending their run to 38-9 from the start of the second quarter
- Hurley's free throws put WU up 57-17
 
FOURTH QUARTER
 
- Madison Lowery's three gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game at 72-28
- Hurley closed the scoring with two unanswered buckets
- Matches the largest margin of victory for Wingate this season, their seventh of 30 or more points this year
 
UP NEXT
 
- Wingate opens the SAC Tournament play with a game against eighth-seed Tusculum
- The quarterfinal contest is slated for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena
- The winner advances to the semifinals Saturday in Greenville, S.C.
- The SAC title game is Sunday in Greenville