Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore Kyleigh Bacon poured in 21 points Wednesday night, leading the Bulldogs to a 68-59 victory over visiting Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate wins its third straight, improving to 17-8 overall and 12-7 in the SAC. The Wolves fall to 13-13 overall and 7-12 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 44 percent from the field, going six-for-14 from three-point range (43 percent)
- Newberry shot 38 percent from the field, connecting on nine-of-24 from deep (38 percent)
- The Wolves held a 39-31 rebounding advantage and 13-9 edge in second-chance points
- The Bulldogs scored 19 points off 15 Newberry turnovers
- The 'Dogs outscored the Wolves 28-20 in the paint
- Wingate was 16-for-20 at the free throw line; Newberry went four-for-eight

KEY BULLDOGS

- Bacon had 21 points, eight boards, two assists and a steal, going eight-for-13 from the field
- Alexandra Merceron added 13 points, five boards, an assist and a steal
- Laney Beale contributed 11 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals
- Laura Montiel had seven points, three assists, two boards and two steals
- Maggie Shorma added five points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal

FIRST QUARTER

- A Rickell Brown bucket at the 5:30 mark gave Newberry a 12-7 lead
- A Bacon layup and two Kylie Chavis free throws cut the lead to one
- Chi'Nya Isaac's jumper with 1:08 to go tied it at 13
- Jada Brown's free throw in the final second gave the Wolves a 14-13 advantage

SECOND QUARTER

- A Shorma triple and Beale layup 90 seconds in gave Wingate a 20-16 lead
- Leigha Harris's layup tied it at 20
- A triple and two free throws from Bacon put the 'Dogs on top by five at the 5:39 mark
- Another Bacon layup, followed by a Brayla Harris triple gave the Bulldogs a 32-22 cushion
- A Reghan Williams jumper with 3:04 remaining cut the lead to eight
- Wingate scored the final eight points of the half, starting with a Bacon three at the 1:52 mark
- A triple and layup from Merceron in the final 80 seconds gave the 'Dogs a 40-24 halftime lead

THIRD QUARTER

- A MaryKate Kent triple cut the lead to 12 with seven minutes left
- Bacon answered with a layup a minute later to give WU a 46-32 lead
- Kent's three with four minutes remaining pulled the Wolves within nine
- Kent buried another triple with 1:22 to go to make it 50-45

FOURTH QUARTER

- A Williams triple 90 seconds into the final frame pulled Newberry within one at 52-51
- Buckets from Merceron and Beale extended the Wingate lead back to five at the 6:07 mark
- Kent's three with five minutes left cut the lead back to one at 57-56
- Isaac answered with a jumper, but a Kent triple at the 2:44 mark tied it at 59
- The Bulldogs responded by scoring the final nine points of the game
- Beale started it with two free throws with two minutes left, while Merceron's jumper made it 63-59
- Montiel went four-for-four at the line in the final 35 seconds to secure the victory

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting Emory & Henry at 2 p.m. on Senior Day