Box Score

Pembroke, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore guard Jaime Vaughn (McDonough, Ga.) had 16 points to lead five players in double figures as the Bulldogs rallied for an 82-76 victory over UNC Pembroke Monday night at the English E. Jones Center on the UNCP campus. 

With the road triumph, Wingate improves to 4-2 overall. The Bulldogs match their 2008-09 road victory total (two) with the win. UNC Pembroke falls to 3-3 overall. Wingate opens South Atlantic Conference play Friday, hosting Newberry College for an 8 p.m. contest.

Bulldog freshman forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) had 12 points. Senior guard Larry Staley (Charlotte, N.C.) contributed 11 points, while freshman forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) and redshirt senior forward David Johnson (Durham, N.C.) added 10 points each.

For UNC Pembroke, freshman guard Shahmel Brackett (Florence, S.C.) led all scorers with 17 points. Sophomore guard Marcus Heath (Greensboro, N.C.) had 16 points, while sophomore forward Mike Robinson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) contributed 12 points.

The Braves led 40-30 late in the first half, thanks to a Brackett hoop. Wingate scored the last six points of the opening stanza, capped by a steal and a lay-up by freshman guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) with 24 ticks left on the first half clock.

Wingate started the second half on a 24-6 run to take the lead for good. A Johnson three-point field goal finished the flurry at the 13:25 mark, giving the visiting Bulldogs a 60-46 advantage.

The Braves had the answer, posting a 12-0 response. Brackett converted a three-pointer and a lay-up to make the score 60-56 at the 10:34 plateau. Robinson completed the two-touchdown move by draining two free throws with 9:23 to go, cutting the deficit to 60-58.

Brackett tied the game for the fifth and final time, hitting a triple to make the score 75-75 with 1:48 remaining. The three-point field goal would be the Braves’ final basket. Johnson hit a jumper on the next trip down the floor to make the score 77-75 Wingate.

Alexander hit a free throw to make the score 78-75. Robinson hit one of two charity tosses to pull the hosts within 78-76. Vaughn put the game on ice with a three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining. His game-high fourth trifecta put Wingate up 81-76.

UNC Pembroke outrebounded Wingate 42-33, thanks to six rebounds each from sophomore guard Tyler Egli (Ankeny, Iowa) and freshman forward George Blakeney (Tarboro, N.C.). Bulldog freshman guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) had a game-high nine rebounds. Matilus barely missed a double-double, as he posted eight points.

Wingate blocked nine shots, with Turner rejecting a career-high five. Alexander blocked two shots, while Matilus and Vaughn erased one shot each. Wingate converted 25 UNC Pembroke turnovers into 20 points. The Braves returned the favor, converting 19 Bulldog miscues into 20 points.

The Bulldogs open South Atlantic Conference play Friday night, hosting Newberry College for an 8 p.m. contest in Cuddy Arena. UNC Pembroke begins Peach Belt Conference action Saturday afternoon, hitting the road for a 3:30 p.m. encounter at Clayton State University.