Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's basketball season gets underway this weekend in Florence S.C., traveling to Francis Marion for the Conference Challenge. Wingate will take on UNC Pembroke Friday at 5:30 p.m., then face Francis Marion Saturday at 3 p.m. The Bulldogs are coming off a 22-10 season, going 14-6 in league play and capturing their 11th SAC Tournament title in program history (Watch Season Opener vs. UNCP | Live Stats).

Wingate has been picked fourth in the preseason SAC poll. The Bulldogs have made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, while earning a tourney bid in nine of the last 10 seasons. The 'Dogs have made a league-best 21 NCAA Tournament appearances. Wingate also leads the conference with 13 regular season SAC titles, 11 tourney championships and 24 total league titles.

The 'Dogs return two starters from last year's championship team, while welcoming seven new players to the squad. "Preseason has gone well, but very different from the previous few years," head coach Ann Hancock says. "With seven new players there has been a lot of figuring out roles and team chemistry. When you graduate three fifth-year seniors and a four-year starter that included a large majority of the scoring, it takes time to adjust to new roles and see how the new pieces fit together to have a successful team."

The Bulldogs return a pair of players that earned a spot on the All-SAC Tournament Team in Laney Beale and Anna Baraldi. Beale averaged 7.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season, piling up a team-best 140 assists while notching a pair of triple-doubles. Baraldi scored in double figures in two of the three SAC Tourney games, scoring a career-high 14 points in the SAC championship game.

"Anna has had a good preseason and has done a nice job in our two scrimmages and exhibition game," Hancock says. "She has scored the ball well and been a consistent threat from the three-point line. Laney is another perimeter player who will be an important part of what we do. She has a terrific basketball IQ and understands what we are trying to do. She is able to take advantage of opportunities to score as well as get others the ball where they can be successful.

In addition to Beale and Baraldi, transfer Aniyah Oliver will also be a key contributor, along with Bethel Ekperigha, who appeared in 30 of 32 games for the 'Dogs last year. "Aniyah brings a tremendous amount of experience to the point guard spot. She is a floor general, understands the game and can handle pressure as well as get the ball to her teammates when they are open. Bethel worked extremely hard on her game and body over the summer. She has taken her game to a new level. In the preseason she has been able to score the ball from all three levels.  Her ability to pressure the ball on defense will give us options on being able to play more pressure defense."

Wingate returns a pair of solid players in the front court in Trinity Breedlove and Lia Anderson. Breedlove earned a spot on the All-SAC Freshman Team, starting 30 games as a freshman while averaging 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Anderson played in all 32 games, contributing 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. They will be joined by Shaylin Pollock, who appeared in 15 games last season, along with Anya Massey.

"On the inside, Trinity has gotten stronger and come in ready to pick up where she left off last season," Hancock says. "Her ability to score around the basket and stretch the defense with her three-point shooting will certainly be hard to defend. Lia is another post player who has worked on her game over the summer. Her tenacity and athleticism give us flexibility to do a lot of different things both offensively and defensively. Shaylin has really stepped up her game. She is in the best shape she has been in during her time at Wingate. She is a very good passer, knows how to use her body to defend and has a good feel for the game. Her ability to play inside or out will be important to our success. Anya also gives us versatility to play facing the basket to stretch the defense or post up smaller players. She has proven to be able to score in numerous ways."

The Bulldogs will have a challenging start to the 2024-25 season, opening up against a UNCP team that went 23-8 last season and is ranked #25 in the preseason D2CSC top 25 poll. Wingate will then take on a Francis Marion team that won 20 games last season. The home opener will be Wednesday, Nov. 13, when the 'Dogs welcome #10 Fayetteville State to town for Future Bulldog Day at 11:30 a.m. The Broncos went 29-3 last season, advancing to the sweet 16. Wingate opens SAC play at Coker Nov. 20, while playing the first SAC home game Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. against Tusculum.

"Our freshman class has come in ready to play," Hancock says. "Their ability to press and defend has been fun to watch. Pressing with this group helps us speed up the game. It will be important for us to be able to get some easy baskets from steals with them on the floor. It will be fun to see all the work we have been doing come together this weekend as we start with the Conference Challenge. We will need great effort on the defensive end and boards as we continue to figure out the best way to utilize each player's strength on the offensive end."

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 26 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 16 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.