WINGATE, N.C. – Despite spotting the homestanding Bulldogs a 10-0 lead at the start, the LMU women's basketball team used a strong second half run to grab a double-digit lead. Wingate then tied the game at 52-52 with 2:10 remaining, but LMU outscored WU 10-2 down the stretch to claim the 62-54 win Saturday evening.

LMU picks up not only their first South Atlantic Conference win and first win of the season, it was also the first career victory for Coach Eric Brewton, Jr. They improve to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in SAC play with the win. Wingate falls to 4-2 and 0-1 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Wingate took the ball inside early, scoring 8 of their first ten points in the paint to pull out to the 10-0 lead.
• LMU was cold from the field in the first quarter, but seven free throws kept the score under double digits and they trailed 20-11 after one period.
• The Lady Railsplitters methodically chipped away at the lead, outscoring WU 13-8 for the frame, including 6 points from freshman Toni McCombs. At the half the Wingate lead had been cut to 28-24.
• The game was eventually tied at 32-32 on a pair of free throws by Lexi Kiser and LMU took the lead on their next possession as Semajia Ogburn stole the ball and got it to Kiser, who then found a driving Lauren Flowers in the paint for the fast break layup with 2:02 remaining.
• LMU closed the quarter on a 12-3 run to lead 38-34 heading into the final stanza.
• A Kiser trey and four McCombs free throws extended the lead to 45-34 and the run to 19-3.
• Wingate put together a run of their own to tie the game again at 52-52 with 2:15 remaining.
• Seven free throws by Flowers (who finished 11-14 for the game) and a three-pointer by Maggie Jachimczuk put the game away as LMU finished the game on a 10-2 run.
 
KEY PLAYERS/STATS
• Flowers led all scorers with 18 points and four rebounds. She went 3-7 from the field, 1-2 from three-point range and 11-14 from the free throw line for the game.
• McCombs had a career-high 12 points and three assists.
• Ogburn led all players with 10 rebounds.
• For the game, LMU shot 34.8 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from behind the arc, and 70.3 percent from the charity stripe.
• Wingate shot 37.7 percent from the field, a cold 18.8 percent from three-point range, and 61.1 percent from the free throw line.
• The Bulldogs won the battle of the boards, outrebounding LMU 38-35.
• The Lady Railsplitters had more points off turnovers (16-12) and second chance points (8-6) than Wingate.
 
UP NEXT
LMU will seek to continue their winning ways as they make the trip across Clinch Mountain to face arch-rival Carson-Newman for the 99^th time Tuesday evening. The Lady Eagles will enter the game with a 4-2 record after falling at North Georgia 67-62 Saturday afternoon.

Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Lady Railsplitter basketball throughout the 2019-20 season.