Eighth-year coach Ann Hancock has her alma mater off to another strong start this season. The Bulldogs have won 10 of their first 14 games behind the school's defense. Entering play Saturday, Wingate ranks 24th nationally and second in the South Atlantic Conference in blocked shots per game at 4.6. Wingate also ranks second in the league in scoring defense at 59.9 points per game while being third in the league in steals having already collected 123 steals this winter. Forward Teliyah Jeter has been a force for Wingate as her 34 blocked shots is 10th nationally and leads the league. Jeter is also a force on the boards where she averages 3.6 offensive rebounds per game as part of averaging 9.4 rebounds a night. On offense, the Bulldogs are one of the nation's most balanced teams with four players averaging between 10.1 and 11.5 points per game. Destiny Coleman is the team's leading score at 11.5 points per game while Hannah Clark (11.0), Bryanna Troutman (10.4) and Jeter (10.1) round out the quartet of double figure scorers.

The search for a SAC road victory continues for Jamie Cluesman's Cavaliers. UVA Wise dropped a 76-62 decision at Lincoln Memorial University Wednesday despite 22 points from freshman guard Nia Vanzant who made a season-high five 3-pointers. Vanzant was one of few bright spots for the team's offensive; the Cavs suffered through their worst shooting performance of the season (37.7 percent) and were held under 15 points in each of the game's first three quarters. UVA Wise also faced difficulty grabbing rebounds as LMU claimed a 44-29 advantage on the glass. Cynita Webb was able to claim her 10th double-double of the season and move into 17th all-time in school history with 1,014 career points with an 11-point, 11-rebound performance. The loss dropped the Cavs to 1-4 in true road games this season, including an 0-3 mark in league games. Cluesman's crew should enjoy an edge at the free throw line Saturday. The Cavs enter the game second in the league in free throw percentage at 72.4 percent while the Bulldogs are 11th in the conference making just over 61 percent of their shots from the foul line. The game will also pit what has shown to be one of the league's best shooting teams, UVA Wise, against one of the SAC's best defensive teams, Wingate. The Cavs are shooting a league-best 47.2 percent from the field while the Bulldogs are holding teams to 35 percent shooting which ranks second in the conference. UVA Wise has boosted by the shooting of Webb who is 16th nationally and the SAC leader in field goal percentage at 60.8 percent.