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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Bulldog Women's Hoop Team Visits Duke Wednesday

Wingate, N.C.----For the second year in row, the Wingate University women’s basketball team will play an exhibition against the Duke University Blue Devils. The Bulldogs will venture to Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest against the Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse.

Wingate head women’s basketball coach Barbara Nelson believes the 2010-11 edition of the Bulldogs have the right mix of basketball talent, work ethic and academic abilities. “We recruited smart kids with outstanding work ethics,” Nelson says. “At the mid-semester point, we had three players with 4.00 grade point averages.”

Wingate’s newcomers will have a chance to contribute immediately, as the Bulldogs possess only one senior in versatile guard CC Brooks. “I believe we have put CC in a position to have a great senior year,” Nelson says.

Brooks helped the 2008 Wingate team make a run to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. In 2010, she averaged 8.8 points per game, second on the team charts. Brooks can play either guard spot; she will see time both at point guard and two guard during the 2010-11 campaign.

All-SAC guard Kurie Washington returns for her junior season. Last year, she was fourth in the SAC with her 18.1 points per game. Opponents know Washington can score; she hit double-figure points 25 of 27 times last season.

Washington had 20-plus points nine times last year. She averaged 18.8 points per game in SAC contests as a sophomore, the exact same average from her award-winning freshman campaign.

Nelson is pleased with Washington’s recovery from off-season knee surgery. “Kurie is shooting lights out at practice,” Nelson says. “She is playing hard. We are looking forward to her junior season.”

Freshman guard Janitsha Williams “is pushing Kurie in practice,” Nelson says. “Janitsha can shoot, she can score and she can put the ball on the floor. It is good for your best player to work. Janitsha is pushing Kurie every day in practice.”

Williams and her fellow newcomers give Nelson great hope for the upcoming seasons. “I am excited about our newcomers,” Nelson says. “I think this year’s team is very similar to our Elite Eight team. We are planning to work hard every day and let the wins and losses take care of themselves.”

Junior forward Simone Rutledge leads Wingate’s talented newcomers. A Tennessee Tech transfer, Rutledge was elected captain by her new teammates. She will give the Bulldogs quality minutes in the post. Freshmen post players Pam Honeysucker, Chantal Dunbar and Shey Brown “can each score the ball,” Nelson says. “They had great high school careers. We are looking for them to continue to improve and make an impact on the next level.”

The post cupboard was not bare, as two returnees give Wingate a veteran presence. Sophomore Tish Logan started eight contests as a true freshman. Her 3.3 rebounds per game were fourth on the team charts. Logan is one of the hardest working Bulldogs; her efforts will translate into early-season minutes. Classmate Jecia Anderson will give Wingate a defensive and rebounding presence as the team’s tallest player. Her continued development will be very important for the Bulldogs.

Sophomore guard Sarah Wollett will share captain’s duties with Rutledge. An All-Freshmen team selection, Wollett averaged 6.5 points per game last year. She stepped up her game in league play, posting 7.5 points per game in 13 league appearances. Wollett led the Bulldogs with her 75 assists this season.

On the SAC charts, Wollett was sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.01), eighth in assists (3.1 helpers per game) and 11th in free throw percentage (76.3 percent) as a true freshman. Nelson believes her floor general has made great strides in the off-season.

“Sarah is in great shape,” Nelson says. “She was very serious about her off-season conditioning. Last year, she got tired at the end of games. This year, her skills aren’t dropping in our pre-season workouts.

Wollett will have help in the backcourt, as Nelson believes each guard on her roster is fighting for playing time. Redshirt freshman Ashley Fleetwood “is knocking down the three-pointers in practice,” Nelson says. “She is one of our better ball-handlers.”

 “We have better competition at the guard spots this year,” Nelson adds. In addition to Williams, junior Tiffany Brown and freshman Alexis Farmer-Graham will have every opportunity to make an immediate impact.

The Bulldogs will be tested early and often. Wingate hosts senior-laden Belmont Abbey Saturday, Nov. 13 for its regular season opener. The Queen City Classic moves to Johnson C. Smith this year, where Wingate will face the host Golden Bulls and Livingstone College.

Wingate will face UNC Pembroke and host Georgia College & State in December’s third annual Bobcat Classic. The Bulldogs also play Conference Carolinas newcomers North Greenville and King in early-season contests.

Perennial Conference Carolinas powerhouse Anderson (S.C.) University joins the SAC this year. Wingate opens SAC play Saturday, Dec. 4 with a home contest against Lincoln Memorial. The Bulldogs visit Carson-Newman first semester (Dec. 15) before conference play gets very hectic in January.


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