Brevard, N.C.----The Wingate University men’s basketball team rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to take a 61-57 South Atlantic Conference victory over Brevard College Saturday afternoon in Boshamer Gymnasium. The visiting Bulldogs shot 64 percent from the field (16-of-25) in the second half.
 
With the victory, Wingate improves to 10-8 overall and 6-2 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have won three games in a row and seven of their last eight. Brevard falls to 2-15 overall and 1-7 in the SAC. Wingate hosts first-place Anderson (S.C.) University Wednesday at 8 p.m., while Brevard travels to Newberry College the same night and time.
 
Wingate senior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.), junior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had 12 points each for the visitors. Brevard senior guard Gaither Hendrix (Lenoir, N.C.) had 15 points to lead all scorers. Sophomore forward Darius Moose (Salisbury, N.C.) contributed 10 points and a team-best six rebounds for the Tornados.
           
The Bulldogs trailed 36-19 at intermission. The Tornados concluded the first frame with a 26-8 explosion. A Turner lay-up put Wingate up 11-10 with 14:29 remaining. Brevard red-shirt senior guard Jermichael Tanner (Columbus, N.C.) had seven points in the flurry. Six different Tornados scored in the half-ending run, with Hendrix contributing six markers. The Bulldogs scored only one point during the last 3:18 of the half.
 
Wingate cut the deficit to four in the first five minutes of the second half. The Bulldogs opened the second stanza on a 17-4 run, making the score 40-36 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Turner at the 15:06 mark. Turner gave Wingate its first lead since 11-10 on an inside jumper with 8:14 to play. The hoop gave the Bulldogs a 49-47 advantage.
 
The two teams would experience four ties and five lead changes in the final nine minutes of play. The Tornados went cold, hitting only two baskets in the final four minutes of regulation. Bulldog junior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) hit a jumper to make the score 57-55 Wingate with two minutes to go. Hendrix tied the score for the final time on the next possession.
 
Fittingly, Turner broke the fourth and final tie by making one-of-two free throws with 75 seconds left. Brevard could not answer, giving Wingate a chance to increase the edge. Bulldog junior guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) stepped to the plate and nailed a triple with 14 seconds to play, accounting for the final margin.
 
Brevard made 10 second-half turnovers; Wingate converted them into 13 points. On the other end, the Bulldogs committed only three second-half mistakes. The Tornados mustered only one point from the three Wingate miscues. Eight different Bulldogs recorded a steal Saturday, with Vaughn topping the charts with three.
 
Brevard held a slim 28-27 rebounding edge. Tornado junior guard/forward Drew Schauss (Greens Fork, Ind.) had five boards to support Moose’s six-rebound night. Alexander topped the Bulldog charts with six caroms. Both Turner and junior point guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) had five rebounds each. Kincaid dished out a game-high five assists.

Newspaper Box Score
Wingate vs Brevard
01/21/12 4 p.m. at Brevard, N.C.
 
WINGATE MEN 61, BREVARD 57
WINGATE (10-8 overall, 6-2 SAC)
Turner, Odell 5-9 2-3 12; Matilus, Paidrick 4-7 4-4 12; Vaughn, Jaime 5-12 1-2 12; Lewis, Eddie 2-4 1-2 6; Alexander, Quan 3-5 0-0 6; Turman, Deion 2-2 0-2 4; Parker, Jeffrey 1-3 1-2 3; Tyson, Mike 1-1 0-0 2; Smith, Chase 1-3 0-0 2; Daye, Ryan 0-2 1-2 1; Kincaid, Ethan 0-3 1-2 1; Carpenter, Robert 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-51 11-19 61.
BREVARD (2-15 overall, 1-7 SAC)
Hendrix, Gaither 7-14 0-0 15; Moose, Darius 3-8 4-6 10; Tanner, Jermichael 4-6 0-0 9; Schauss, Drew 3-7 1-1 7; Pickett, Dominique 2-5 0-0 6; Felder, Ryson 2-3 0-0 6; Gujanicic, Filip 1-2 0-0 2; Vasiljevic, Aleks 0-1 2-2 2; Gist, Michael 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-46 7-9 57.
Wingate.......................   19   42  -   61
Brevard.......................   36   21  -   57
3-point goals--Wingate 2-11 (Lewis, Eddie 1-3; Vaughn, Jaime 1-4; Smith,
Chase 0-1; Kincaid, Ethan 0-1; Matilus, Paidrick 0-2), Brevard 6-18
(Pickett, Dominique 2-4; Felder, Ryson 2-2; Tanner, Jermichael 1-2; Hendrix, Gaither 1-5; Schauss, Drew 0-1; Moose, Darius 0-4). Fouled
out--Wingate-None, Brevard-None. Rebounds--Wingate 27 (Alexander, Quan 6), Brevard 28 (Moose, Darius 6). Assists--Wingate 10 (Kincaid, Ethan 5), Brevard 8 (Hendrix, Gaither 3). Total fouls--Wingate 12, Brevard 14.
Technical fouls--Wingate-None, Brevard-None. A-936
SAC men's basketball, Boshamer Gymnasium, Brevard, N.C.