BOX SCORE

Belmont, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs used a 28-4 first half run to notch an impressive 81-65 win at Belmont Abbey College in NCAA Division II men's basketball action Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs improve to 6-4 overall, while the Crusaders fall to 4-5 on the season.

Sophomore forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Wingate attack. Freshman forward Robert Carpenter (Fayetteville, N.C.) added 14 points, while junior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) chipped in with 13 points and six steals. Sophomore forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) contributed 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Kyle Phillips had 17 points to lead the Belmont Abbey attack. Richard Barbee added 15 points for the Crusaders, while Jay Council chipped in with 10 points.

Belmont Abbey led 17-11 with 11:52 left in the opening half, but a 28-4 Wingate run over the next seven minutes essentially put the game away. In the run, Wingate hit six three-pointers, including five in consecutive possessions, to take a 39-21 lead with 4:45 left. Carpenter drilled three from beyond the arc in the flurry, while Vaughn knocked down triples on consecutive possessions to cap the spurt. The Bulldogs took a 49-30 lead into the break.

In the final 20 minutes, the Abbey outscored the Bulldogs 35-32 but could not trim the lead to any fewer than 13 points, and Wingate's lead never grew any higher than 20.

Wingate shot 50.8 percent from the field, while hitting nine-of-19 from three-point range (47.4 percent). The Bulldogs also hit 12-of-13 free throws on the day (92.3 percent), while holding a 37-26 rebounding advantage.

Wingate returns to action Wednesday, traveling to Catawba College for an 8 p.m. start.