Kingsport Reporter

Le'Aije Ellington scored a career-high 15 points Saturday afternoon, but the King University women's basketball team was unable to pull off the win, falling to nonconference for Wingate 75-48.

THE BASICS

FINAL: Wingate 75, King 48

LOCATION: Cuddy Arena; Wingate, N.C.

RECORDS: King 2-6; Wingate 5-1

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Period

• The Bulldogs scored the first eight points of the game before Jaelyn West hit a jumper to get the Tornado on the board.
• Ellington would then hit a pair of threes in the final minutes, but Wingate rolled to a 20-8 lead after the first quarter.

Second Period

• Coming out of the quarter break it was the Tornado who started the scoring, as Brianna Dunbar hit a free throw before Ellington hit another triple, this one cutting the lead to 20-12.
• After Wingate scored eight consecutive points, West pulled a defensive rebound and fed Jhayda McKinney, who nailed a three to make it a 28-15 game.
• The Tornado went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final five minutes, which they supplemented with a three from Tori Smiley that made the score 37-24 with 1:42 remaining.
• Wingate would hit a three in the final minute before Smiley hit a jumper in the closing seconds, making the score 40-26 at halftime.

Third Period

• After conceding the first seven points of the quarter, the Tornado started to find their groove, as Alexa Gramann and West both hit a pair of free throws.
• That was quickly followed by Dunbar hitting a fastbreak layup to trim the lead to 47-32.
• After Ellington recorded a steal, she went all the way and made a triple that brought the Tornado to within 47-35.
• After trading buckets to close the quarter, it was Wingate who found themselves with a 56-43 advantage.

Fourth Period

• It took the Tornado until the 5:55 mark to score, which came courtesy of a Smiley jump shot.
• Jada Campbell then hit a three, making it a 71-48 game with 3:54 to play.
• Wingate would score the final six points of the game, taking a 75-48 win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ellington was 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, and also recorded three steals.
• Ashley Allen pulled 12 rebounds on the afternoon, while Tori Smiley dished out three assists.
• The Tornado shot just 21.3 percent from the field, which is their lowest of the season.

FOR THE FOES

• Laura Kozo and Hannah Clark both scored 12 points for the Bulldogs, with Jaia Wilson adding 11 and Bryanna Troutman adding 10.
• Troutman also finished with nine rebounds.

Original source can be found here