BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University women's basketball team led Wingate University for a good portion of the game Tuesday, but the Bulldogs pulled away in the fourth quarter to steal a 70-66 victory inside the Student Center.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Wingate 70, King 66
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 1-11; Wingate 7-3
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Period
- After the Bulldogs scored the first four points, Le'Aije Ellington drilled a three before adding a driving layup 30 seconds later to put King in front, 5-4.
- Wingate then re-took the lead, stretching it to 11-7 before Ellington hit a free throw and Torey Walker nailed a jumper.
- A layup by Ashley Allen with 2:06 left would be the final points, as King took a 12-11 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Second Period
- There were seven lead changes in the first five minutes, with Wingate edging out a 23-22 lead at the halfway point.
- Kiley Beach hit a layup with 4:05 left to put King in front 26-25, a lead they would hold for the rest of the half, as the Tornado would finish the half on a 9-4 scoring run.
- Among the buckets during the scoring run was a three from Jhayda McKinney with 2:59 left and a pair of floating jumpers from Brianna Dunbar, as King took a 35-29 lead into the halftime break.
Third Period
- Wingate scored seven of the first nine points, quickly getting back to within 37-36.
- The Bulldogs took a brief lead with 7:23 left, but 20 seconds later McKinney and Ellington went back-to-back, with McKinney's being a three-ball to put the lead back at 42-38.
- Ellington hit a three with just under a minute remaining, but the Bulldogs would get an old fashioned three-point play with 23 seconds left to make the score 52-47 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Fourth Period
- Wingate started the quarter on a 9-5 scoring run, pulling to within one with 4:32 to play.
- Alayna Smith would hit a layup a short time later to stretch the lead to three, but a quick triple by the Bulldogs tied the score at 59.
- It also started what would turn out to be a 7-0 scoring run for Wingate, allowing them to pull in front 63-59 with 1:54 to play.
- Wingate would go 6-of-8 from the line in the final minute to hang on for a 70-66 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Making just her second appearance of the season, Ellington turned in a solid performance, scoring 18 points and handing out five assists, going 7-of-17 from the field. McKinney added 12, along with a pair of rebounds.
- Ashley Allen had 10 rebounds, six of which were offensive rebounds.
FOR THE FOES
- Emily Hege led all scorers, finishing with 23 points, going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
- Hannah Clark finished with 14 points, while Trinity Breedlove pulling a team-high eight rebounds.
UP NEXT
- King will host Lenoir-Rhyne University Dec. 30 in a nonconference contest.
- Wingate will play at Belmont Abbey College Dec. 30.
