Wingate Basketball Season Updates

Staff Writer: Ben Robertson

Wingate, N.C. – With the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) tournaments just a few weeks away, the men’s and women’s Wingate basketball teams are primed for deep postseason runs. 

The men’s Bulldog squad has put together an excellent season so far, currently sitting as the fourth seed in the SAC. They are 18-6 overall, with 14 wins in the conference. 

So far, junior guard Jarren Cottingham is putting together another All-SAC level performance, once again averaging over 17 points per game. He currently ranks in the top five of the conference in scoring and has picked up two SAC Player of the Week awards. 

Transfer sophomore Sean Elmore has been a massive addition to the Bulldogs, and he leads the SAC in three-pointers made this season. Junior Andreas Wilson has also been a lethal shooter, and both players have double-digit scoring averages. 

Sophomore Donell Nixon has asserted himself as one of the top point guards in the SAC. Nixon is top five in the conference in both assists and steals and leads the team in minutes played.   

Quantra Taylor and Vontrez Roberts have been solid in the paint all season, and Rashaard Pringle and Destin Clark consistently provide energy, solid defense, and inside scoring for the Bulldogs. 

On the women’s side, the Bulldogs have proved to be an elite team in the conference and are ranked #17 in the nation. After losing their season opener, the team rattled off a program-record 18 straight victories before falling to Newberry. 

They are currently the top seed in the SAC by multiple games. They are 21-2 overall and 19-1 in the SAC. 

Junior forward Bryanna Troutman is putting together a case to be the SAC Player of the Year, averaging 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. Troutman and graduate student Haleigh Brandon pair to make one of the best frontcourt duos in the country, with Brandon averaging a near double-double with 9.7 points and over 13 rebounds. 

Junior Hannah Clark has been one of the best and most exciting guards in the SAC all year long, averaging double-digit points and shooting nearly 40% from the three-point arc. Sophomore guard Lauren Sullivan has proved to be an absolute sniper for the Bulldogs as well, averaging 8.3 points and shooting a ridiculous 47% from deep so far. 

The SAC tournament begins for both men and women on March 2. Both Bulldog teams believe they have very legitimate shots at winning the whole thing.