Wingate Women Advance, Tusculum Falls In NCAA Tournament

FLORENCE, S.C. -- Wingate University sophomore forward/center Erica Crumlin (Irmo, S.C.) missed a triple-double by one block as the Bulldogs defeated Johnson C. Smith University 61-50 in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tournament Friday afternoon. The NCAA contest was held in the Smith University Center on the campus of Francis Marion University.

With the victory, Wingate improves to 24-7 overall. The Bulldogs will play Augusta State University Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the regional semi-finals. The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls conclude the 2007-08 campaign 21-10 overall.

Crumlin posted 14 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high nine blocked shots in 28 minutes of playing time. She hit seven-of-12 field goals and added three assists and two steals to her statistics ledger. Wingate senior guard Kate Edwards (Laurinburg, N.C.) added 10 points and seven rebounds for the victors.

For Johnson C. Smith, sophomore guard/forward Kyria Buford (Charlotte, N.C.) posted a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. In addition to her game-high point and rebound totals, the Florida State University transfer snatched a game-best five steals. Buford was the only JCSU player to hit double figures Friday.

Wingate led 23-17 following a cold-shooting first half for both teams. The Bulldogs started the second half with a 9-2 flurry to take a 32-19 lead on a short jumper by sophomore center Stacie Rhodes (Raleigh, N.C.) with 15:05 to play in the contest. The 13-point bulge was Wingate's biggest lead of the afternoon.

A hoop by freshman forward Jessy Keitt (Charlotte, N.C.) put the Bulldogs up 36-26 at the 12:55 mark. The JCSU Golden Bulls made their move, answering with a 9-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to 38-35 on a three-pointer by Buford with 8:19 to go. Buford had five points during the run.

Erica Crumlin

Johnson C. Smith would get no closer than the three-point deficit down the stretch. The Golden Bulls had the ball only one time with a chance to tie the game. Bulldog junior point guard Anna Atkinson (Marion, N.C.) stepped up and made a steal to end the aforementioned JCSU possession. The 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® first team member was fouled on the play and converted a one-and-one opportunity to give Wingate a 42-37 lead with 5:56 remaining.

Wingate worked the lead back to 13 in the waning moments. Two Atkinson charity tosses put the Bulldogs up 58-45 with 1:02 to go. Wingate hit five-of-six free throws in the final 1:02 to keep JCSU at bay. The Golden Bulls hit two field goals and one free throw in the final 47 seconds to settle the final margin.

Atkinson dished out double-figure assists for the 11th time this season with her game-high 11 helpers. On the afternoon, Wingate made 25 turnovers that JCSU converted into 16 points. The Bulldogs shot 40.4 percent from the floor (23-of-57) for the day. The Golden Bulls managed only 27 percent shooting Friday (20-of-74). Thanks to Buford's efforts, the JCSU bench outscored the Wingate bench 30-16.

Wingate hit six-of-seven field goals (85.7 percent) out of the starting blocks, taking a 12-4 lead on a Crumlin jumper at the 16:11 mark. Wingate scored on its first six possessions. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 19-10 on a transition basket by senior forward/guard Kasey Gillis (Indian Trail, N.C.) with 10:03 remaining in the opening frame.

The Golden Bulls cut the margin to 19-14 on a long jumper by Buford at the 9:13 plateau. Following the Buford basket, neither team would hit paydirt for six-plus minutes. Edwards broke the scoring drought with a follow shot at the 3:07 mark. The Edwards jumper gave the Bulldogs a 21-14 advantage.

Wingate outrebounded JCSU 28-16 in the first half. The Bulldogs hit 39.3 percent of their first-half field goals (11-of-28), while the Golden Bulls hit only 22.6 percent in the opening frame (seven-of-31). In the first 20 minutes, Gillis and Crumlin led Wingate with six points each. Buford posted seven markers for the JCSU in the first half.

Lander 83, Tusculum 78

FLORENCE, S.C. -- Stephanie Ponds recorded a career-high 31 points and 16 rebounds as No. 7 seed Lander defeated second-seeded Tusculum 83-78 Friday night in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Division II Women's South Atlantic Regional. The game was played at the Smith University Center on the campus of Francis Marion University.

With the victory, the Lady Bearcats (23-11) advances to Saturday's regional semifinal and will face No. 3 seed Clayton State at 8 p.m. Tusculum ends its magical season with an impressive 26-5 record.

Tusculum junior Ashli Oliver finished with 26 points on eight 3-pointers, while freshman Jasmine Gunn finished with 21 points and a career-best 11 assists in the loss. Sophomore Stephany Neptune posted eight points and 16 rebounds for the Pioneers.

Lander's Kianna Smith recorded 15 points, while Tiara Good and LaShonda Chiles finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

But it was Ponds who shined for Lander as she shot 13-for-22 from the floor and grabbed six of her 16 boards on the offensive glass.

Lander rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half, using a 16-4 run and took the lead 66-64 with 7:49 remaining following a lay-up by Good. The lead would bounce back and forth including a three-pointer by Oliver to give TC the lead for the final time with 4:56 remaining in the contest. Lander got back-to-back buckets by Ponds to move up 75-72 with four minutes to go.

Tusculum would trim the deficit to 79-78 with 1:07 remaining following a jumper by Gunn. But the Pioneers would miss their final two three-pointers and Ponds got a keep offensive put-back following a missed free throw with 22 seconds left to put the game away.

Lander forced 21 turnovers, while converting those into 26 points. The Bearcats also dominated the paint, outscoring Tusculum by a 52-26 margin. The area TC dominated from was beyond the arc. Tusculum went 11-for-23 from three-point land, while limiting Lander to 0-for-10 shooting from downtown. Lander came into the game averaging 7.7 treys per contest.

Oliver established a new school and South Atlantic Conference single-season record with 104 three-point field goals, breaking the mark she established last season.

LANDER UNIVERSITY 83, TUSCULUM 78

LANDER UNIVERSITY (23-11)
Ponds, Stephanie 13-22 5-7 31; Smith, Kianna 6-12 3-6 15; Good, Tiara 4-10 3-5 11; Chiles, LaShonda 5-16 0-2 10; Butler, TaSheba 3-7 2-2 8; McKever, Shannon 1-5 2-2 4; McCall, Candi 1-4 0-0 2; Butler, Andrea 1-2 0-0 2; Kirkland, Tierra 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-78 15-24 83.

TUSCULUM (26-5)
Oliver, Ashli 8-14 2-3 26; Gunn, Jasmine 8-18 5-9 21; Van Dine, Nikki 3-10 0-0 8; Neptune, Stephany 4-8 0-0 8; Oliver, Brittni 1-2 2-2 5; Shank, Shantae 2-5 0-0 4; Spears, Kat 2-3 0-0 4; Parker, Jasmine 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 29-62 9-14 78.

Lander University............. 38 45 - 83
Tusculum...................... 41 37 - 78

3-point goals--Lander University 0-10 (; Smith, Kianna 0-4; Chiles, LaShonda 0-4; Butler, TaSheba 0-2), Tusculum 11-23 (Oliver, Ashli 8-14; Van Dine, Nikki 2-7; Oliver, Brittni 1-1; Gunn, Jasmine 0-1). Fouled out--Lander University-None, Tusculum-None. Rebounds--Lander University 44 (Ponds, Stephanie 16), Tusculum 40 (Neptune, Stephany 16). Assists--Lander University 17 (Smith, Kianna 6), Tusculum 19 (Gunn, Jasmine 11). Total fouls--Lander University 17, Tusculum 17. Technical fouls--Lander University-None, Tusculum-None. A-503
NCAA II Women's Basketball South Atlantic Regional Tournament (Quarterfinals)