Mars Hill, N.C.----Mars Hill College hit 12-of-16 three-point field goals and survived a furious Wingate University rally to collect a wild 87-82 South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball victory Saturday evening in Stanford Arena. Lion junior forward Sammy Emile (Lake Worth, Fla.) hit five-of-six triples en route to a game-high 25 points.

Mars Hill is 5-9 overall and 2-4 in the SAC. Wingate is 8-6 overall and 3-3 in the SAC. The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, traveling to Newberry College for a 6 p.m. contest. Mars Hill hosts Carson-Newman College Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

Emile posted his 25 markers in a reserve role, leading four Lions in double figures. Mars Hill junior guard Donterious Hughes (Gastonia, N.C.) had 20 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Classmate Tarron Stewart (Tampa, Fla.) had 14 points and four assists off the bench, while senior forward Dion Malachi (Shelby, N.C.) contributed 13 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.

Wingate had five players hit double digits. Junior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) led the way with 20 points. The All-SAC performer hit three-of-five from downtown. He filled out his statistics ledger with three assists, three steals and two rebounds. Sophomore forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Bulldog freshman forward Robert Carpenter (Fayetteville, N.C.) equaled his career-high with 14 points. He topped the Wingate charts with four three-point field goals. Sophomore forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) added 11 points and five rebounds. Wingate redshirt freshman forward Mike Tankersley (Hampton, Ga.) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.

Mars Hill led 55-39 with 16:47 remaining in the contest, thanks to a three-point field goal by Emile. The 16-point bulge was the Lions’ biggest lead Saturday. A Hughes triple gave Mars Hill its third and final 16-point advantage (65-49) at the 13:35 mark.

The second of four second-half triples for Carpenter cut the Wingate deficit to 67-62 at the 9:50 plateau. The Carpenter trifecta completed a 13-2 run for the visitors. His final triple cut the deficit to 76-73 at the 5:34 mark.

A Vaughn jumper made the score 79-78 Mars Hill with 2:20 remaining. Hughes answered with a lay-up to push the MHC lead back to three. Turner hit two free throws at 1:41, pulling the Bulldogs within one at 81-80. Emile hit the last of his five triples to give the hosts a 84-80 advantage with 1:20 left in regulation.

The Bulldogs didn’t quit, as Alexander hit a jumper with 48 ticks on the clock to make it a two-point game. Emile hit two free throws with 31 seconds left to push the Lion lead to 86-82. Wingate missed three three-point attempts in the waning moments. Hughes added a late free throw to account for the final margin.

Emile’s 25 points helped the MHC bench outscore the Wingate reserves 43-33. The Lions shot 58.2 percent from the field (32-of-55) and a sizzling 75 percent from three-point land (12-of-16). Mars Hill led 47-36 at intermission, thanks to 60 percent first-half shooting (18-of-30).

Wingate converted 27 Mars Hill turnovers into 33 points. In the first half, the score was tied twice with one lead change. The Bulldogs led by five points on two occasions in the early stages of the first stanza. Turner hit nine-of-12 free throws Saturday. The 2010 SAC Freshman of the Year also blocked two shots. Wingate sophomore point guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) dished out a game-high seven assists.