Wingate, N.C.----Anderson University shot 68 percent in the second half and weathered a valiant comeback to take an 87-81 South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball victory over Wingate University Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. The two teams are tied for second place entering the last weekend of the regular season. The Bulldogs see a six-game winning streak end with the loss.

Anderson is 17-10 overall and 11-6 in the SAC. The Trojans are the number eight team in the most recent Southeast Regional rankings. Wingate falls to 16-9 overall and 11-6 in the SAC. The Bulldogs visit defending league champion Brevard College Saturday at 4 p.m. Anderson travels to Carson-Newman College for a Saturday afternoon matinee (4 p.m. tip).

Trojan senior guard Kevis Cornwell (York, S.C.) led the visitors with 21 points. He hit 10-of-14 field goals and dished out a team-high three assists. Junior guard Nick Trull (Charlotte, N.C.) had 17 points off the AU bench. He hit four-of-eight three-point field goals. Senior guard Brandon Young (Belmont, N.C.) added 14 points.

Wingate sophomore forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had 23 points and seven rebounds to lead the home-standing Bulldogs. Junior guard Chase Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had 17 points. Sophomore guards Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) contributed 16 and 14 points, respectively.

Anderson made a 10-0 run to start the second half, breaking a 39-39 halftime deadlock. Five different Trojans contributed to the flurry, which ended when senior forward/center Trey Britton (Alpharetta, Ga.) hit a free throw at the 16:59 mark to make the score 49-39 Trojans. Young contributed his only second-half three-point goal to the pivotal run.

The Bulldogs didn’t quit, responding with seven straight points to quickly cut the deficit to 49-46 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Matilus at the 15:06 plateau. Anderson kept the edge for the next 10 minutes until Wingate made its final push.

Wingate tied the contest at 72-72 on a Kincaid tip-in with 4:05 to play. Cornwell responded on the next possession with a jumper in the paint, putting the Trojans up 74-72 at the 3:49 mark. Cornwell hit a three-pointer with 1:43 left in regulation to nudge the lead to 80-74. Matilus hit a basket on the next possession to pull the Bulldogs within four.

Anderson made enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Bulldogs at bay. The Trojans made five-of-six charity tosses in the last 38 seconds. Smith hit two free throws with 16 seconds to go, making the score 84-81 Anderson.

Trojan freshman guard Denzail Jones (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) was fouled immediately and he calmly hit two free throws to keep the game out of reach. Britton added a single free throw with eight ticks left on the clock to settle the final margin.

Wingate led 17-8 on a Turner lay-up with 13:18 left in the first half. The nine-point bulge was Wingate’s largest of the night. Anderson senior guard Oskars Ernsteins (Rigas, Latvia) hit a triple to give the Trojans their first lead 31-29 at the 6:59 mark.

A Turner inside hoop put Wingate up 39-36 with 2:35 remaining, but Ernsteins hit another downtown basket at 1:41 to tie the score at 39-39 as the two teams entered the halftime locker room.

Trull and Ernsteins helped the Anderson bench outscore the Wingate substitutes 30-19. Trull was three-for-five from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes. Ernsteins hit two-of-four downtown shots in the first half. Wingate outshot Anderson in the first half, hitting 54.5 percent of its shots (12-of-22). Anderson converted 51.7 percent (15-of-29) of its first-half field goals.

For the evening, Anderson made 11-of-25 three-point field goals (44 percent). Wingate hit five-of-17 from downtown (29.4 percent). The Bulldogs outrebounded the Trojans 30-21, thanks to seven from Turner and six from Matilus. Wingate hit 32-of-36 free throws (88.9 percent), while Anderson converted 12-of-16 from the charity stripe (75 percent).