No. 3 Wingate Wins 2016 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship

The 'Dogs have now won 11 games in a row and go into the NCAA Tournament with a record of 21-8. The Trojans fall to 22-6 on the season.

The Bulldogs shot 42% (23-for-54) in the contest and converted on 19-of-32 chances from the free-throw line. Junior Kristina Rumplasch led the way for Wingate with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. SAC Tournament MVP Shelby Tricoli added 13 points for the 'Dogs.

The first quarter saw Wingate jump out to a fast 8-3 lead, converting three Trojan turnovers into six points. Anderson fought back within three to 15-12, when the Trojans' Heather Jankowy drilled a long range three to knot the game at 15-all with 2:26 in the quarter. The Trojans ended the quarter on a 7-0 run, taking a 19-15 lead.

 Anderson's Alexis Dillard converted a layup on the first possession of the second quarter to extend the top-seed's lead to 21-15, but Wingate answered with a triple out of the hand of Tricoli. Wingate drained 13 of the next 18 points to grab a 31-26 lead with 4:09 remaining in the half. However, the Bulldogs went on a hot streak, ending the first half of play on an 11-0 run, outscoring Anderson 27-7 for the quarter and mounting a comfortable 42-26 lead.  

The third quarter saw the 'Dogs and Trojans go back-and-forth, but at the end of the third 10-minute period, Wingate owned a 23-point advantage heading into the final quarter.

The Trojans did not go quietly, as Anderson turned a comfortable lead into a nail-biting finish, outscoring Wingate 25-8 in the final frame. The Bulldogs held the lead at 62-40 at the 8:32 mark, but the top-seeded team put together a 13-0 run to narrow the 'Dogs advantage to 62-53. A Marta Miscenko free-throw increased Wingate's lead back to double digits at 63-53 with 4:24 left in the game.

The Trojans climbed back to within four points thanks to a jumper by Dillard, a layup from SAC Player of the Year Jennifer Monroe, and a three-point basket from Tamia Eatmon. The 65-61 Wingate advantage was the closest the game had been since the 5:14 mark in the second quarter.  A pair of free-throws from Wingate's Morgan McGee send the game to its final standing of 67-61 in favor of the third-seeded Bulldogs.

Dillard finished the contest with 14 points and 12 rebounds for Anderson, while Monroe compiled 12 points and 10 boards. Jankowy tacked on 15 points of her own while Madison Floyd added 11. The quartet of Monroe, Dillard, Jankowy and Floyd went a combined 21-for-21 from the charity stripe during the contest.

The Wingate defense held the Trojans to a stingy 28% percent shooting from the floor, after Anderson came into the contest shooting 41% from the floor. However, the Trojans did convert 25-of-32 (80%) of their free-throws. The key to success for the Bulldogs throughout the game, was converting turnovers into points as they forced 16 Anderson miscues, which they promptly turned into 27 points. The Trojans were able to cause 14 mishaps for the 'Dogs, but were only able to capitalize with eight points.

The 2016 SAC Championship all-tournament team was comprised by Tricoli, Miscenko, Monroe, Floyd, and Danasia Witherspoon.

Both the Bulldogs and Trojans will await their post-season destinies on the NCAA Selection Show, which will take place at the link below tonight at 10 pm EST.

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2016 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team
Shelby Tricoli, Wingate (MVP)
Marta Miscenko, Wingate
Danasia Witherspoon, Wingate
Jennifer Monroe, Anderson
Madison Floyd, Anderson