Brevard, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs travel to Brevard College Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action. The ‘Dogs are 9-8 overall and 5-2 in the SAC. Wingate has won six of its last seven contests, and sits alone in third place in the league standings. The Tornados are 2-14 overall and 1-6 in the SAC.
 
Wingate’s first 15 games were all decided by nine points or less. The Bulldogs have won their last two contests by a combined 52 points, establishing season highs in points and field goals their last two times out. The ‘Dogs beat Mars Hill 90-70 last Saturday, while defeating Newberry 96-64 Wednesday night. Wingate’s first seven wins were by a combined 50 points, with two coming in overtime. The Bulldogs have not suffered a double-digit loss this season.
 
Wednesday’s victory saw the Bulldogs shoot a season-best 60.7 percent from the field en route to a 32-point victory over Newberry, who entered the contest ranked third nationally with 91.7 points per contest. The ‘Dogs held the Wolves to a season low in points, while Wingate tied a season high with 11 three-pointers on 19 attempts.

Senior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) scored 22 of his season-high 29 points in the first half. He hit 10-of-15 shots from the field on the night, while knocking down six-of-seven from three-point range. Junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, four blocks and three steals, while senior guard Chase Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 14 points on five-of-seven shooting from the field.
 
Junior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) led the attack in the 20-point victory over Mars Hill, notching season highs of 22 points and nine rebounds on the afternoon. Vaughn and Smith added 16 and 11 points, respectively, while junior guar Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) handed out a career-high 10 assists.
 
Wingate has three players averaging double figures this season, while seven Bulldogs are scoring at least 5.4 points per game. Vaughn leads the way with 15.9 points per game, shooting 42 percent from three-point range. Turner is scoring 11.9 points per game, while ranking fourth in the league with 7.2 rebounds per game and fourth with 1.53 blocks per contest.

Matilus is averaging 11.7 points per game, while ranking third in the conference, shooting 89.1 percent from the free throw line. Kincaid is second in the SAC with 4.47 assists per game, and ranks third in assist-to-turnover ratio. Sophomore forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) is second with 1.94 blocks per game, with sophomore forward Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) ranking third at 1.56 blocks per game.
 
Wingate leads the SAC and ranks fourth nationally with 6.2 blocks per game. The ‘Dogs also lead the league in three-point field goal percentage defense, while ranking second in free throw percentage and third in rebounding margin.
 
The Bulldogs and Tornados met three times last season, with Wingate winning all three contests. Turner had 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Kincaid added 10 points and 10 boards to lead the ‘Dogs to a 65-49 home win. Vaughn had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the 10-point road victory, with Turner adding 14 points and six boards. Turner had 25 points, six rebounds and three blocks to lead Wingate to an 84-64 win in the SAC Tournament. Vaughn added 23 points, five assists and four steals for the Bulldogs.
 
Brevard has lost three straight contests entering the Wingate game, while dropping six of its last seven. The tornados are coming off an 84-43 loss to Lincoln Memorial Wednesday. Gaither Hendrix leads the team and ranks fifth in the SAC with 17.2 points per game. He ranks eighth in the league with 2.25 three pointers per contest. Darius Moose is second on the team with 11.9 points per game, while leading the team with 7.1 rebounds per game.
 
After Saturday’s contest, the Bulldogs will wrap up the first half of the conference season with a home game against first-place Anderson Wednesday night. The Trojans are 7-0 in the SAC entering this weekend, which includes an overtime victory over then-number one Lincoln Memorial last week. The ‘Dogs kick off the second half of league-play next Saturday, hosting the sixth-ranked Railsplitters at 4 p.m.