Wingate 73, Lenoir-Rhyne 70 1/27/10

Wingate's C.C. Brooks drives into a crowd of Lenoir-Rhyne defenders in action from Wednesday night's women's game at Cuddy Arena.


Freshman guard Sarah Wollett, 12, looks for an opening in the L-R defense. Also shown is Wingate's Tish Logan, 20. (Staff photos by Dusty White)

After loss at Tusculum, women’s basketball team rallies to beat Lenoir-Rhyne

By Allison Smith
Staff Writer

The Wingate Women’s basketball team defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 73-70 in Cuddy Arena tonight. The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears opened the game with the first score off of a Wingate foul. The Bears gradually increased their score on four almost back to back layups by sophomore guard Cameron Sealey, senior center Denise Moore, and senior guard Amber Holt. The Bears increased their lead to 13 points at 7:16 left in the half until Wingate went on a three minute unanswered run. The run was lead by a baseline jumper by sophomore guard/forward Kurie Washington, four additional points by freshman forward Tish Logan and two sunk free throws for junior forward CC Brooks to cut the Bears lead to 23-20 with 3:10 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs pushed forward using a Lenoir-Rhyne technical to their advantage tying the game 26-26 with 12 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs entered the locker room at the half with a two point lead 28-26.

The second half started off similar to the first with Lenoir-Rhyne jumping ahead on a 10-0 lead that was not broken until freshman guard Sarah Wollett shot her one for two free throws at 17:08, changing the score to 36-29 Lenoir-Rhyne. The bulldogs however, showed great resilience in the second half by challenging the Lenoir-Rhyne lead and fighting all the way at 12:05 when senior forward Erica Crumlin’s foul shots allowed Wingate to take the lead 43-42. Lenoir-Rhyne took the lead right back from the bulldogs and kept the lead until 2:41 left in the second half when Wingate regained its second lead for the night. Wingate did not lose the lead for the rest of the game. Washington increased the lead to 73-67 off of two free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining. Senior guard Jami Safrit for Lenoir-Rhyne sunk a three with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game but the Wingate bulldogs were too far ahead of the bears and ended the game with a 73-70 win.

The dual between the bulldogs and the bears was both physical and intense. Both teams came into the game with high stakes. Lenoir Rhyne was tied for first place in the South Atlantic Conference and the bulldogs were ready to ruin their run for first. Both teams accumulated many fouls and trips to the free throw line. Lenoir-Rhyne had a technical at 9:07 in the first half, committed by senior guard Brittany Mitch and again at 31.9 seconds remaining in the first half by Safrit. When asked about the physicality of the game, Coach Barbara Nelson said “I think people think they can bully us but we can bully right back.”

Senior center Stacie Rhodes and Washington had outstanding performances for the bulldogs. Rhodes contributed 18 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks and Washington had 24 points. When asked about the win Rhodes said, “It was a huge win and the team really came together tonight.” Rhodes also stated that she was proud of her team for their resilience and perseverance in the second half. “It was a game of runs and we came creeping up at the end. The second half would go up and down but at the end we made the huge plays to win.”

Coach Nelson said after the game that she was very impressed with her team tonight. “We showed maturity and composure. Stacie stepped up as a leader and the freshmen are really growing up.” Nelson and the bulldogs hope to fuel their winnings through the defeat of Lenoir-Rhyne tonight and carry it over to Saturday’s game at Lincoln Memorial.

Men's basketball rides winning streak into conference opener Friday

Chris Siers
Staff Writer

The Wingate University Men’s Basketball team was able to edge the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey College on Saturday Nov 28. Freshman guard Paidrick Matilus led the Bulldogs offensively with a career-high 27 points, including being five-of-nine threes.
Matilus took the Bulldogs out to an early 11-3 lead, which would be the highest lead for either team. The Crusaders battled back and tied up the game with an 8-0 run. At the end of the first half, Belmont Abbey held the advantage with a score of 33-28.
The second half was no different from the first. Both teams held advantages back and forth, going down to the wire with the Crusaders hitting a three with 28 seconds left giving them a 71-70 lead. With 8.4 seconds left, Matilus nailed a three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 73-71 advantage. Wingate would withstand a last push by the Crusaders and emerge with a thrilling 73-71 win.
Riding the momentum from the win against Belmont-Abbey, Wingate posted a come-from-behind road win against UNC Pembroke on Monday night. Sophomore guard Jaime Vaughn led the Bulldogs with 16 points in the win.
The first half proved a struggle for Wingate with the Bulldogs finding themselves down 40-36 at the end of the first half. The Bulldogs started the second half red hot with a 24 to six run giving the Bulldogs the lead for the final time of the night and an 82-76 victory. “The team played tough (Monday),” said sophomore guard Chase Smith. “We grew as a team and showed that we can win close games on the road.”
Wingate will begin the South Atlantic Conference season on Friday December 4, hosting Newberry College at 8 p.m. in Cuddy Arena.

Party bus, other proposals discussed at SGA meeting

Avery Day
Staff Writer

A proposal by the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity to run a party bus every other Thursday passed Monday night at the Student Government Association meeting.
A proposal by the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity passed in the amount of $3,000. The first bus will be run tonight. It makes a route from Wingate to Hilltop to Shooters and back to the college.
The buses would help eliminate drinking and driving. The $5 charge would cover for students to ride the bus all night to all three locations. Delta Sigma Pi asked for $3000 to cover all of next semester.
There were two other proposals that passed Monday night. The first was supported by Campus Outreach asking if they could receive $1,200 for scholarships to help five students go to Washington D.C. for the New Year’s Conference. This money will help students pay for the trip who otherwise would not be able to afford the $300 per person cost.
The second was made by the AD-Team. They requested that they receive $549 (plus tax equating to around $600) for a new Apple Mac mini computer since their current computers keep crashing on them. The club agreed to pay for their own design software, costing over $400, if they could receive the computer funding.
Some announcements and reminders: starting next semester, after a student’s car gets ticketed three times, the car will be towed. New movies will also be being purchased for WU Flix.
Primetime’s last meeting for the semester will be held Thursday night at 8 PM.
Letters were distributed to all the groups and organizations present to inform them of the expectations expected by SGA. Each group is allowed only so many absences from each SGA meeting; starting next semester, they will all be given a grace period and will be starting over from zero missed meetings.
The letters also address the rules for receiving funding and reserving rooms for events.
The issue of breaking into cars was also brought up at the meeting. The suggestion for video camera to be installed in the parking lots to help catch the violators was turned down due to the amount of money it would cost.
However, the suggestion for improving the lighting in the parking lot to “intimidate” anyone looking to break into cars was more reasonable and will be discussed with the appropriate personnel.
SGA will also be sponsoring part of “Refueling” during finals week.

Chief: Wingate police close to arrest in car break-ins on campus

By Emily Edwards and Tylan Merkerson
Staff Writers

At Tuesday's Town of Wingate’s Board of Commissioners meeting, many of the items of business had a direct connection with Wingate University and its students. A main report was of the car break-ins that occurred on the campus over Halloween weekend. Police Chief Barry Glass stated that police had four or five “fairly decent leads” on the case after much investigation. “We have narrowed our suspect down to one person and are getting closer to making the arrest,” Glass said.
Building Inspector Brad Sellers made the commissioners aware that the 2010 Census will take place in March. Wingate has developed a committee to be sure that all in the town of Wingate will be accounted for during this Census. Sellers informed listeners that “It is imperative that everyone in Wingate is accounted for so that the town is supported accordingly”. Wingate University student Megan Wood is on the committee to help connect with students and encourage them to be a part of the Census that will help the town of Wingate.
Other continuing business was discussed and voted on without much debate during this meeting. Town Manager Dryw Blanchard talked about all the projects the town had previously discussed and bids he had received on those projects. Two main projects to the town were voted on and passed to start work on the town’s new sewer and water lines.
The next meeting will be held on Dec. 15 in the Jesse Helms Center at 7 p.m. A main order of business will be dealing with the proposal of an ABC store in Wingate. A representative from Monroe will be attending the meeting to discuss future plans. All public and university students are encouraged to attend.

Marshville council discusses dog ordinance

By Steven Grandy
Staff Writer

Coping with vicious dogs and determining what to do with the Marshville Baptist Church were just some of the issues that the Marshville Town Council discussed at their recent meeting.

The meeting began with comments from Marshville resident Rusty Johnson. Johnson told the board that he was unhappy that the council has added items to the meeting agenda without the public having the chance to make their opinions known. In particular, Johnson complained that items would taken care of when the council met in closed chambers to discuss resumes for the vacant Town Administrator position. Johnson believed that the council “needs to be respectful to citizens.” Councilwoman Gail Kiker defended the town’s position, saying that emergencies do come up and sometimes decisions need to be made instantly. Kiker did not run for reelection.

Land Use Administrator Jana Finn presented her research on a new Vicious Dog Ordinance. Finn pointed out that the current ordinance has been on the books since 1984 and only carries a $15 fine. Finn looked into the Town of Edenton’s ordinance which bans specific breeds of dogs. Councilwoman Denise Whitley believes that there are issues of animal abuse in the town, specifically with how the dogs are kept. Whitley told the council that she has seen dogs tied to trees.

Councilwoman Margaret Bivens said she carries a pistol due to her neighbors having pit bulls. Bivens believes that if the dogs get loose, they will attack a child that is playing in the community. Bivens also thinks that dog fighting is an issue that is getting worse. Finn said that if the town adopts and passes an ordinance that is different than that of Union County, the town would have to provide their own animal control units. Mayor Franklin Deese believes that there is nothing wrong with the current rule and asked at one point, “Why are we here?” After 45 minutes of debate, the council decided to address the issue at a later meeting.

Linda Smosky from the Union County Council on Aging gave a presentation to the council. In her presentation Smosky told the council that Union County’s aging residents want to live in save, healthy affordable communities. Smosky’s presentation stated that they average Social Security check in 2007 was $813. The council did not take any further action following the presentation.

The town council tackled the issue of what to do with the currently vacant Marshville Baptist Church. Councilwoman Bivens tried to persuade other members to allow a consultant to attend a future meeting and discuss the town’s options with the building. However, the consultant would have cost the town $200. Since the church is already a designated historic site and is currently for sale, several members of the council believed that the town should let the sale process work itself out before any intervention. The council voted 4-1 to do nothing with the church, with Bivens being the lone “No” vote.

Finally the council decided whether or not to hold a Christmas party and where it should take place. After much debate, the council decided to hold the party at Hilltop in early December at a cost to be determined. Councilwoman Bivens expressed some disappointment that the town would choose to spend money on a Christmas party but not to have a consultant discuss options for the Marshville Baptist Church property. The Christmas party resolution did pass.

Staff writer Jennifer Jacobs also contributed reporting to this article.

"This Is It" a must for Jackson fans

By Samantha Schipman
Staff Writer

In March, Michael Jackson held a press conference in London announcing that he would be playing 50 shows in the city starting in July. This was to be the culmination of his storied career.

Aptly titled “This Is It”, the concerts would be his final bow. Tickets for each show sold out. Just three weeks before the first show, the King of Pop died suddenly as he was to embark on the biggest set of performances of his career.

Shortly afterwards, AEG, who was putting on these shows, decided to show the world what Jackson had been working so diligently for. Over 120 hours of footage had been captured, mostly for home video. At midnight on Oct. 27, "This Is It" made its worldwide debut. The movie is a combination documentary- concert film. It shows dancer auditions, interviews and meticulous rehearsals. The film also shows the passion and perfection that Jackson strived for.

About 16 songs are used in the rehearsal stages, including a Jackson 5 medley. Also featured is a new song, also titled “This Is It”.

Jackson is very precise in the way he wants the songs to sound. He says that they are performing fan favorites and that the songs should sound exactly like the record. At one point,he is correcting a musical director and tells him, “I say this with love. L-O-V-E.” Jackson is also very encouraging to those around him. His presence exuberates love and positivity.

The film also shows some of the elaborate numbers that were being planned. The filmed opening for “Thriller” takes place in a cemetery. His dancers are dressed as an array of ghoulish characters. It is much like the landmark video, but with a fresh update. The dancers in character provide a dancing backdrop on stage with Jackson. “Earth Song” shows a young girl frolicking in a lush, green field. After a nap, she finds a changed world. Jackson sends a message of what
will happen if we don’t change the way we treat our world.

“Smooth Criminal” is a complete 180. Jackson “appears” in a film with Humphrey Bogart. They are competing for a woman’s
affection and a chase scene ensues. Jackson crashes through a window on screen before appearing on stage to begin singing.

I had been preparing for weeks for the movie premiere by watching the trailer. However, I was shocked by reaction upon seeing Jackson. I felt an overwhelming urge to cry. This man was alive and seemingly healthy. As he moved about the stage, interacted with dancers and crew, I kept thinking, “This man should not be dead.”

His voice was strong and sounded exactly as it should. He moved with ease, showcasing the dances that made him famous. His own dancers would surround the stage and watch in awe as their hero performed the very moves that they idolized and memorized. The film also reminds us that though Jackson is the greatest entertainer of our generation, he is also human. He was big on family, love, the environment and entertainment.

The film is happy and sad, heartbreaking and inspiring. It will leave you
wishing that this wasn’t it.

"This Is It" can be seen locally at the Regal Union Square 8 Cinema, 1911 Dickerson Blvd., Monroe