Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men’s basketball team will host the Lions of Mars Hill College Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs have won five of their last seven, entering the weekend 7-8 overall and 3-2 in the SAC. The Lions are 3-11 overall and 1-4 in the SAC.
 
Wingate’s four-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday night at Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bulldogs fell behind by 13 points in the second half, but battled back and had a chance to win on the final possession. A three from junior Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) rimmed out in the final seconds and the Bears held on for the victory. Junior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) and senior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) had 16 points each to lead the Wingate attack Wednesday night.
 
The Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to four at Tusculum last Saturday, getting 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocks from freshman forward Mike Tyson (Kinston, N.C.). Wingate knocked down seven threes in the opening half en route to a 16-point halftime advantage. The lead would never get lower than nine in the second half, with the ‘Dogs prevailing 60-51. Junior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added 11 points for Wingate, knocking down all three shots from beyond the arc on the afternoon.
 
The Bulldogs opened the 2012 slate the previous Wednesday, closing the game with a 13-1 run to notch a 77-69 home victory over Catawba College. Matilus knocked down four-of-four shots from beyond the arc, scoring a game-high 22 points. Junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C) added 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while sophomore forward Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 10 points and 12 boards for the Bulldogs.
 
Wingate used a 13-2 run at the end of the game, rallying for an 83-77 victory over Belmont Abbey College on Dec. 30. Turner had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the way, Lewis knocked down six-of-six shots from three-point range to score a career-best 18 points. Vaughn added 16 points for the Bulldogs.
 
The winning streak started Dec. 17 as the ‘Dogs raced out to a 24-point lead en route to an 82-73 win over Mount Olive. Sophomore forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) had 16 points and six blocks, helping Wingate pile up a league-record 15 rejections. Matilus added 16 points, while Turner had 10 points, seven boards and two blocks. Turman added four points, six rebounds and four blocks.
 
Wingate’s balanced attack has three players scoring in double figures and seven scoring at least five points per contest. Vaughn leads the way with 14.6 points per game. Matilus is scoring 12.3 points per game, shooting a league-best 90 percent from the free throw line. Turner is averaging 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, ranking in the top 15 in the SAC in all three categories. Junior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) is third in the league with 4.0 assists per game and fifth with a 1.38 assist-to-turnover ratio. Parker is second in the SAC with 2.1 blocks per game, with Turman ranking third at 1.6 per contest, right in front of Turner. Lewis is second in the conference, shooting 53.7 percent from three-point range.
 
As a team, the Bulldogs lead the SAC and rank sixth nationally with 6.2 blocks per game. Wingate is second in the conference in free throw percentage and rebounding margin, while ranking third in scoring defense.
 
Wingate leads the all-time series 29-26 over the Lions. The teams split two games last season, with each team winning at home. Mars Hill knocked down 12-of-16 shots from three-point range in an 87-82 home victory. Vaughn led the Wingate attack with 20 points. Vaughn had 22 points in the 85-78 home victory for the Bulldogs, while Kincaid added 19 points and six rebounds.
 
Mars Hill lost 131-96 at top-ranked Lincoln Memorial Wednesday night. The Lions were led by Sammy Emile, who scored 50 points. The 50 points were one shy of the league’s single-game scoring record for Emile, who ranks second nationally in scoring with 26.9 points per game.
 
Terrell Harris is second on the team and third in the SAC, averaging 19.3 points per game for the Lions, who enter the contest on a five-game losing streak. In those five losses, Mars Hill has allowed its opponent to score over 100 points three times. The Lions are giving up 100.9 points per game to their opponents this season. The Bulldogs are holding their opponents to 70.3 points per game, Mars Hill has not held an opponent under 70 points all season, while allowing over 100 points seven times.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,500 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.

Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.
 
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.
 
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 42 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 51 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.
 
(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.)