BOX SCORE
Savannah, Ga.----The Wingate University men’s basketball team trimmed a late 14-point Armstrong Atlantic State lead down to three in the final minutes, but were unable to complete the comeback, falling 75-71 to the Pirates in NCAA Division II basketball Monday night. The Bulldogs drop their season opener to fall to 0-1 on the season, while the Pirates improve to 1-0.
Sophomore forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C) had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Wingate offense. Sophomore guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added 17 points and nine board for the Bulldogs, while sophomore forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in with 12 points.
“The biggest difference to me in game was simply that they executed their plays and we really struggled to run anything,” Wingate head coach Brian Good says. “…down the stretch, we got back into the game by attacking, but came up empty at times at the foul line. We weren’t very poised tonight, especially off the bench. We gave their shooters too many open looks.”
Junior guard Chris Edwards (Albany, Ga.) led the Pirates with 17 points and six rebounds. Junior forward DeVon Jones (Jackson, Tenn.) added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, while junior guard Grant Domsic (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 13 points for AASU.
The Pirates used a 7-0 run to take a 23-14 lead nine minutes into the first half. Edwards had five points in the spurt, while junior guard Chris Vanlandingham (Hendersonville, N.C.) capped it with a dunk. The Bulldogs responded by scoring the next 11 points to take a 25-23 lead. Alexander had four points in the flurry, while a Matilus three put Wingate on top at the 7:38 mark.
No team would lead by more than four points the remainder of the half. A three-pointer and free throw from senior guard Jesse Wheeler (Atlanta, Ga.) gave Armstrong Atlantic State a 35-33 lead with 48 seconds remaining in the half. Matilus drained a three 26 seconds before halftime to give the ‘Dogs a one-point lead heading to intermission.
AASU used an 8-0 run to take a 53-45 advantage six minutes into the second half. Edwards and Domsic started the spurt with back-to-back threes. A three-pointer and jumper from Turner cut the deficit to three with 12:46 remaining. The Pirates stretched their lead to 12 on a layup and pair of free throws from Wheeler just under the eight minute mark.
A Jones jumper with 5:21 remaining gave the Pirates a 71-57 advantage. The Bulldogs went on a 12-1 run over the next 2:30 to cut the AASU lead to three. Alexander started the spurt with a three-point play. The Bulldogs converted four free throws, while a three from junior guard Jaime Vaughn (Jacksonville, Fla.) made it 72-67 at the 2:55 mark. A Turner layup made it a three point game with a minute remaining. Turner came up with a steal to get Wingate the ball back with a chance to tie, but a Matilus jumper would not fall with 22 seconds remaining.
Wingate shot 41 percent from the field, while hitting eight-of-18 from three point range (44.4 percent). The Pirates shot 45 percent from the field on the night, and hit nine-of-18 from beyond the arc (50 percent). The ‘Dogs held a 44-33 rebounding advantage, while holding a 15-10 edge in second chance points. The Pirates converted 18 Wingate turnovers into 22 points. Armstrong Atlantic had 21 assists on 27 made baskets.
Wingate is back in action Friday, taking on Queens (N.C.) in Hickory, N.C. at 5 p.m. The Pirates return to action Saturday, taking on Southern Wesleyan at 4 p.m.
