ANDERSON, S.C. - Sophomore guard Emily Willoughby scored a season-high 20 points to lead all scorers, but Anderson fell, 74-61, to Wingate in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (10-15, 7-10 SAC) suffered its second consecutive setback, while Wingate (18-7, 15-5), which is currently tied for first in the league standings, has won 11 of its last 13 outings.
Leading 14-10 at the 13:04 mark of the opening half, the Bulldogs ran off six straight points to grab a double-digit advantage with 10:31 left in the half. But the Trojans chipped away and Willougby drained a 3-pointer to trim the deficit 23-18 with 5:18 to go. However, the Bulldogs countered with a 16-5 outburst to close the half, taking a 39-23 lead to the locker room.
Anderson cut the Wingate lead to 43-32 on an inside basket from freshman guard Sierra Simpson, but the Trojans would get no closer as the Bulldogs answered with six straight to boost the lead to 49-32 lead with 14:10 remaining. The Bulldogs stretched the margin to 19 points in the final moments.
Willoughby came off the bench to score 14 second-half points, while connecting on 6-of-12 three-point field goals. Junior guard Alissa Diaz added 19 points and junior forward Breonda Shannon pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Wingate senior forward Simone Rutledge led the Bulldogs with 12 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Nikki Burton, junior forward Tish Logan and sophomore guard Janitsha Williams each tallied 10 points.
Anderson wraps up the regular season by playing host to Carson-Newman Saturday on Senior Day, with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m.
