The Wingate women's basketball team converted three free throws in the final three seconds after the Abbey cut the Bulldogs lead to one with 29 seconds left to earn a 56-52 win over the Crusaders this afternoon at the Wheeler Center. Wingate moves to 4-1, while the Abbey drops to 1-1.

Trailing 47-41 with 7:20 to play in the game, the Abbey embarked on a 9-3 run to deadlock the game at 50 with 3:48 to go. Kelsey Long and Melisa Foures contributed all nine of the points, as Long tallied five in the flurry, the last three tying the game at 50, while Foures converted a layup and two free throws.

With the score tied at 50, Wingate got a bucket on its next trip down the floor as Morgan McGee sank a tough jumper from the corner to give the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish.

After an Abbey foul with 2:27 to play, Chantal Dunbar hit the second of two free throws to push the lead to four. After both teams came up empty on its next possessions, Foures dipped the lead to just one with 29 ticks left as she grabbed an offensive rebound off of a missed layup by Alyx Ingram, and dropped the putback to cut the deficit to 53-52.

Both teams then took consecutive timeouts. After the final timeout, Wingate eluded the Abbey defense for 18 seconds, working the ball around the backcourt to avoid a foul, until Janitsha Williams was hacked with three seconds left. She converted both free throws to extend the lead to 55-52.

The Crusaders turned the ball over on their next possession, and Tish Logan, who collected the steal, was fouled with .03 left on the clock. She sank the first and missed the second free throw to seal the win.

McGee posted a double double with 18 points and ten rebounds, both game-highs, as Wingate shot 37 percent from the floor. Williams added 12 points, including a six for six effort from the free throw line, to go along with five assists.

Long led the Abbey with 14 points, while Foures netted eight points, ten rebounds and six assists. The Crusaders shot 42 percent from the field but were just four of 18 (22 percent) from beyond the arc.