Box Score

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior guard Larry Staley (Charlotte, N.C.) had a game-high 20 points, while freshman forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C) had 15 points and 17 rebounds as the Bulldogs defeated Mars Hill College 85-62 in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 13-11 overall and 6-7 in the SAC. The Lions fall to 13-11 overall and 8-6 in the conference.

Turner’s 17 boards are a career-high. He also went nine-for-10 at the free throw line while collecting five assists, three steals and two blocks. Freshman guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added 14 points, while sophomore guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) chipped in with 12 points.

Mars Hill senior guard Danny Sanders (Shelby, N.C.) had 19 points and eight rebounds for the Lions. Junior forward Dion Malachi (Shelby, N.C.) added 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

The Bulldogs used a 15-4 run midway through the first half to turn a two-point deficit into a 26-17 lead at the 6:54 mark. Staley scored the first six points of the spurt, then capped it with a tip-in to give Wingate a nine-point lead.

A three pointer from Polite trimmed the lead to five with five minutes remaining. Wingate pushed the lead back to eight at halftime, highlighted by a dunk from Turner with 44 seconds left in the half.

A three from Vaughn gave the Bulldogs a 52-39 lead seven minutes into the second half. Wingate’s lead would remain in double figures the rest of the way. A 7-0 spurt, capped by a three-point play from Matilus, put the Bulldogs on top 63-46 with 9:11 remaining. The final margin was the largest lead of the night for Wingate.

The Bulldogs shot 42.4 percent from the field, while knocking down 26-of-30 from the free throw line (86.7 percent). Wingate held a 50-43 rebounding edge, and a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint. The Bulldogs outscored the Lions 21-2 in fast break points, and held Mars Hill to 27.9 percent shooting from the field.

Wingate returns to action Saturday, traveling to Newberry for a 4 p.m. start. The Lions host Limestone Monday night at 7 p.m. 

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)