Hartsville, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs capped a perfect opening weekend with a 69-63 victory over UNC Pembroke Sunday afternoon on day two of the Conference Challenge at Coker University. Wingate improves to 2-0 overall, while the Braves fall to 1-1 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 39 percent from the field, hitting 12-of-23 threes (52 percent)
- UNCP shot 37 percent from the field, going eight-for-22 from deep (36 percent)
- Each team had 31 rebounds; the 'Dogs held a 12-10 edge in second-chance points
- UNCP scored 16 points of 12 Wingate turnovers
- The Bulldogs had 16 assists on 23 made field goals
- The 'Dogs never trailed and led by as many as 15 on the day

KEY BULLDOGS

- Emily Hege had 23 points, four assists and three rebounds
- She went seven-for-13 from the field and five-for-seven from three-point range
- Hannah Clark added 14 points, four boards, two steals and an assist
- Trinity Breedlove had 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block
- Anna Baraldi contributed 10 points, going two-for-three from deep
- Jaia Wilson had seven points, eight boards and three assists
- Laney Beale added five points, four rebounds and four assists

FIRST QUARTER

- Threes from Hege and Clark gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead at the 6:19 mark
- A Hege triple and Breedlove bucket pushed the lead to eight
- Kalaya Hall cut the lead to four with a four-point play with 4:13 to go
- Wingate scored the final six points of the quarter, taking a 25-15 lead on two Baraldi free throws

SECOND QUARTER

- Baraldi nailed back-to-back triples to put the 'Dogs on top 31-17 with seven minutes left
- Clark buried a three to extend the lead to 15 with 1:42 remaining
- A Natalie Evington triple with a minute left pulled UNCP within nine at 37-28

THIRD QUARTER

- Hege's triple two minutes into the half pushed the lead back to 12
- Hannah Russell's layup made it a six-point game with five minutes left
- WU scored the next nine, getting a Hege three and four Breedlove points to make it 58-43
- Aniah McManus cut it to 13 with a layup with nine seconds to go

FOURTH QUARTER

- Zaria Clark's layup with five minutes left pulled the Braves to within seven
- Breedlove answered with a bucket to make it 63-54
- Russell's layup with three minutes to go made it a five-point game
- Hall pulled the Braves to within three with a layup with 2:07 to go
- Clark answered with a layup, while two Hege free throws made it 67-60 with 33 seconds left

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Wednesday, hosting JC Smith at 11:30 a.m. on Future Bulldog Day