UNC Pembroke outlasts Wingate 70-62 Wednesday night

Pembroke, N.C.----The Braves of UNC Pembroke outlasted the Wingate University Bulldogs 70-62 in NCAA Division II women’s basketball action Wednesday night. UNC Pembroke improves to 2-0 overall, while the Bulldogs fall to 1-1 overall on the season. The game was tightly contested; UNC Pembroke’s eight-point lead at the end of the game was the largest lead for either team all night.

Wingate junior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) had 22 points and three steals to lead the Wingate attack. The two-time All-SAC selection hit five-of-eight shots from three-point range on the night. Junior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) added 16 points and six rebounds, hitting seven-of-11 shots from the field. Sophomore guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) contributed 10 points and four assists.

Senior forward JaToya Kemp (Elizabethtown, N.C.) had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the way for the Braves, hitting seven-of-11 shots from the field. Senior guard Talena Faison (Whiteville, N.C.) had 17 points and eight rebounds for UNCP. Senior forward DayDay Ray (Raeford, N.C.) had 12 points and seven boards for the Braves.

A jumper from Rutledge, followed by a lay-up from junior guard Tiffany Brown (Cartersville, Ga.) put Wingate on top 12-8 nine minutes into the game. The Braves responded with an 8-0 run to take a 16-12 lead at the 9:31 mark. Junior guard DeDe Cotton (Fayetteville, N.C.) hit a pair of jumpers in the spurt.
A jumper from senior forward Briana Stanton (Hookerton, N.C.) gave the Braves a six-point lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. A pair of Washington free throws, along with a Rutledge jumper, trimmed the lead to two at the two-minute mark. A Kemp jumper pushed the lead back to six 41 seconds before halftime. Washington drained a triple 10 seconds later and added a jumper with 19 seconds remaining to cut the UNCP lead to one at halftime.

A three-point play from Ray, followed by another Ray lay-up, gave the Braves a 47-42 lead eight minutes into the second half. A three-point play from freshman forward Chantal Dunbar (Virginia Beach, Va.) got Wingate within one at the 9:21 mark.

The ‘Dogs took a two-point lead on a Washington three with 5:10 remaining in the game. UNC Pembroke scored the next six points to take a four-point lead. Faison started the spurt with a three, while Ray capped the flurry with a free throw. Wollett cut the lead to two with a lay-up with three minutes to go, while Rutledge tied the game at 62 at the 2:24 mark. The Braves scored the final six points of the game. Faison knocked down the big shot, draining a deep three with 23 seconds to go to make it 68-62.
          
The Braves shot 48 percent from the field, while hitting five-of-15 shots from three-point range (33.3 percent). Wingate shot 39 percent from the floor for the night, knocking down six-of-19 shots from beyond the arc (31.5 percent). UNCP had a big advantage from the free throw line, going 21-for-34 while Wingate hit only eight-of-16 free throws on the night. The Braves also dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 43-29. Wingate was able to convert 24 UNCP turnovers into 28 points.
          
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, taking on Livingstone College in the Queen City Classic at Johnson C. Smith University. The Bulldogs and the Blue Bears tip at 2 p.m. Saturday. UNCP travels to Lander University next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
          
(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)