BOX SCORE

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs scored the first seven points of the game and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire in a 65-49 victory over the Tornados of Brevard College in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 10-6 overall and 5-3 in the SAC. Brevard falls to 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the conference.

Sophomore guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) had 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) added 10 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman forward Jeffrey Parker (Madison, N.C.) had 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

Junior forward Vincent Dombrowski (Philadelphia, Pa.) led the Tornados with a game-high 14 points. Junior guard Gaither Hendrix (Lenoir, N.C.) added 13 points, while senior guard Josh Roper (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in with 11. Roper, who entered the game averaging a league-best 24 points per game, hit just four-of-19 shots from the field on the afternoon, while turning it over seven times.

Back-to-back layups from Kincaid gave the Bulldogs an 11-2 lead seven minutes into the contest. A triple from Dombrowski and layup from Hendrix cut the lead to 18-12 with 7:07 remaining in the half. Another three from Dombrowski trimmed the lead to five with just under five minutes to go. Wingate responded with a 12-3 run to close the half. Vaughn started the flurry with a triple, while freshman guard Robert Carpenter (Fayetteville, N.C.) capped it with a layup 41 seconds before intermission, giving the Bulldogs a 32-18 halftime lead.

A 6-0 run gave Wingate a 44-24 lead nine minutes into the second half. Alexander started it with a dunk and a layup, while Kincaid capped it with a jumper in the paint. Brevard responded with a 10-0 run, capped by a Roper jumper which made it 44-34 at the 7:54 mark. The ‘Dogs scored nine of the next 11 points, stretching the lead back to 17 on a triple from sophomore guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) with 5:33 remaining. The Tornados would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Wingate shot 45 percent from the field on the day, while hitting five-of-15 from three-point range (33.3 percent). Brevard shot only 27 percent from the field, while hitting five-of-21 from beyond the arc (23.8 percent). The Bulldogs held a 52-32 advantage in rebounding, while outscoring Brevard 36-12 in the paint.

The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, traveling to Anderson for an 8 p.m. start. Wingate returns home February 2, hosting Catawba at 8 p.m. The Tornados return to action Monday, traveling to Winston-Salem State at 7 p.m.