Hickory, N.C. --The Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Basketball Team will open SAC play with a rivalry game as the Bears will welcome Wingate inside the Shu this afternoon. The Bears will enter the contest 4-0 while the Bulldogs will come in with a perfect 3-0 record.
The Bears improved to 4-0 for the first time since the opening of the 2013 season and will look to move to 5-0 a feat they have not reached since the start of the 2007 season. Standing in the Bears way is a Wingate team that won the SAC regular season title last season.
The Bulldogs are lead by 2021-22 SAC Player of the year winner Bryanna Troutman. The 6'2 senior lead Wingate with 18.9 points per game last year and added 7.7 rebounds per contest. Troutman is averaging 15.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in her first two games of her senior campaign including a game-saving block at the buzzer in a 55-54 win over UNC-Pembroke on November 12th. Troutman did not play in Wingate's 73-43 win over Converse on November 16
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The Bears defense will be up for the challenge as the Bears have held their opponents to just 52.5 points a game while forcing 26.3 turnovers in game in the early stages of the season. On the offensive side, The Bears have a balanced attack so far this season with four scorers averaging double digits lead by
Brandi Hudson with 16 points per game.
Hudson, who made her season debut last Wednesday, has scored 16 points in each of her first two games coming off the bench to begin her senior season. Junior
Blaikley Crooks was in the Thanksgiving day mood on Saturday stuffing the box score against King. Crooks had 16 points, six rebounds, four assists,four steals and a block as the junior as emerged in her third year on campus.
With the new SAC divisions this year, this is a huge early season test for LR who will look to make an early statement and jump to the top of the Piedmont Division tonight. Bears and Bulldogs are joined by Anderson, Catawba, Coker and Newberry in the newly formed Piedmont Division. Wingate was predicted to win the Piedmont with Carson-Newman the favorite in the Mountain Division.
The last time these two meet in Hickory was a classic as Wingate held on for a 71-68 win in overtime to open SAC play last year. Wingate has dominated the series winning the last six and twelve of the last thirteen. Bears will look to snap the streak tonight as tip-off is schedule for 4:30 in the Shu.
