Wingate Women Top Clayton State, Advance To Elite Eight

FLORENCE, S.C. -- The Wingate women's basketball team (26-7 overall) defeated Clayton State (Ga.) (20-11 overall) 82-72 in the championship game of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tournament Monday night. The NCAA Sweet 16 contest was held in the Smith University Center on the campus of Francis Marion in Florence.

Number one seed Wingate will make its third appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight (and first Elite Eight trip since 1996). The NCAA Division II Elite Eight will be held March 26-29 in Kearney, Neb. Wingate junior point guard Anna Atkinson (Marion, N.C.) was named the MVP of the 2008 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tournament.

Senior guard Kate Edwards (Laurinburg, N.C.) led the Wingate attack with 22 points and eight rebounds. The SAC's all-time leader in three point percentage was six-of-10 from beyond the arc, and joined Atkinson on the all-tournament team. Atkinson notched her eighth double-double of the season, with 12 points and 12 assists. The SAC Player of the Year and SAC Tournament MVP was seven-of-eight from the free throw line. Freshman forward Stefani Shuey (Charlotte, N.C.) added 17 points and six rebounds. She was eight-of-10 from the field.

Junior guard Marie St. Ford (West Palm Beach, Fla.) led the Lakers with 23 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Lisa Jackson (Miami, Fla.) added 15 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Shanrika Hardeman (Atlanta, Ga.) chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds while senior forward Shantel Ragin (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) had 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

The first half was tightly contested throughout, with no team getting a lead larger than four. The opening half featured six ties and 12 lead changes. Edwards and Shuey combined to scored 21 of Wingate's 34 first half points, as they trailed by one going into intermission.

Clayton State used an 8-2 flurry to take a 55-47 lead on a three pointer from St. Fort at the 10:41 mark. That was the largest lead for either team at the time.

Wingate had the answer, going on a 19-2 run over the next five minutes, turning the eight point deficit into a 66-57 lead. Edwards got it started, hitting back-to-back threes. A three-point play from Atkinson put the Bulldogs on top. Wingate went from down eight to up one in a matter of 95 seconds. Freshman forward CC Brooks (Mount Holly, N.C.) then drained a three on the next possession, capping a 12-0 run to give Wingate a four point lead.

After a Clayton State bucket, Atkinson found Shuey for a lay-up, then fed freshman forward Jessy Keitt (Charlotte, N.C.), who converted a three-point play to put the Bulldogs on top by seven. Atkinson would then sink a pair of free throws to make it 66-57 with 5:52 remaining in the game.

The Lakers would cut the lead to five on a steal and lay-up from St. Fort with just over four minutes to go. The Bulldogs once again had the emphatic answer, putting the game away with an 11-0 spurt that would go inside the final minute. Keitt started it with a jumper. Edwards knocked down her sixth three of the night at the 1:13 mark for a 15 point lead. Brooks hit a free throw with 52 seconds remaining for an 80-64 lead.

The Bulldogs shot 53.6 percent in the second half, while going 28-for-61 (45.9 percent) from the field for the game. They also drained eight-of-13 (61.5 percent) three point attempts, including five-of-seven second half tries. Clayton State was 29-81 (35.8 percent) from the field on the night.

The Lakers held a decisive 55-39 rebounding advantage, including a 24-9 edge in offensive rebounds, and 18-8 advantage in second chance points. Wingate converted 17 Clayton State turnovers into 22 points. The Bulldogs assisted on 23 of 28 made baskets on the night.

Wingate will face the winner of the Northern Kentucky vs. Missouri S&T game in the Elite Eight. That game will be played Wednesday, March 26.