Wednesday, February 8, 2006
WINGATE DEFEATS PRESBYTERIAN 67-66
Bulldogs take over sole possession of first place in the SAC
standings with victory
CLINTON, S.C. — Wingate University’s junior guard Tanetra Barrett (Marshville, N.C.) scored a game-high 22 points to lead three players in double figures as the Bulldogs defeated host Presbyterian College 67-66 in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball action Wednesday night in the Ross E. Templeton Center.
With the win, the Bulldogs (17-5, 8-1 SAC) take over sole possession of first place in the SAC standings, while the Lady Blue Hose (18-4, 7-2 SAC) fall out of a first place tie with Wingate with the loss.
The game pitted two of the top two teams in the South Atlantic Conference as well as in the South Atlantic Region, as the Bulldogs entered the game ranked No. 3 in the region, while Presbyterian is No. 4.
The first half saw the Bulldogs break the fifth tie of the game with a 9-0 run to pull ahead 19-10 at the 10:14 mark on a layup by Barrett. The Lady Blue Hose responded with an 11-4 run to cut the lead to 21-19 on a putback by senior Cameron Cook (Greensboro, N.C.) with 3:57 left in the half. Wingate closed the first period on a 15-9 run to lead 36-28 at intermission. Barrett led all scorers with 14 first half points on six-of-seven field goal attempts as the Bulldogs shot 48.4% from the floor. The Lady Blue Hose were led by senior Wesley Campbell’s (Greenville, S.C.) seven points and five boards on three-of-four shooting from the floor.
Wingate pushed their lead to double figures at 44-34 to open the second half, but the Lady Blue Hose used a 15-5 run to tie the game at 49-49 on a three-pointer by sophomore Amy Jones (Warthen, Ga.) at the 8:04 mark. With the score tied at 51-51, Jones scored seven straight points to give the Lady Blue Hose a 56-53 lead with 6:01 remaining in the game.
Barrett gave Wingate back the lead with four straight points and freshman Anna Atkinson (Marion, N.C.) hit the Bulldogs’ only three-pointer of the game to push the lead to 60-54 with 3:57 remaining. PC responded with a 7-2 run to retake the lead at 63-62 on a three-pointer by Campbell with only 1:00 left in the game. Atkinson scored four straight points and junior Emily Paffrath (Bakersville, N.C.) connected to a pair of free throws to give Wingate a 67-63 lead with :06 seconds remaining. PC’s Jones hit her fifth three-pointer of the game as time expired, but Wingate held on for the 67-66 victory.
Barrett led all scorers with 22 points, while Atkinson chipped in 15 points and six assists for the Bulldogs, while senior Shannon Proffitt (Christchurch, New Zealand) added 11 points. Presbyterian was led by Jones’ team-best 19 points, while senior Rebecca Wessinger added 13 points and Campbell added 12 points and nine boards.
The Lady Blue Hose return to action on Saturday, February 11 with a trip to Jefferson City, Tenn. to take on Carson-Newman College at 6:00 pm, while Wingate travels to Newberry, S.C. to face the Lady Indians at 2:00 pm.