Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs closed the game on a 13-1 run, overcoming a late deficit to earn a 77-69 victory over the visiting Catawba College Indians in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs win their third straight game, improving to 6-7 overall and 2-1 in the SAC. Catawba falls to 3-8 overall and 0-3 in the SAC.
 
Junior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) led the Bulldogs with 22 points, knocking down seven-of-12 shots from the field and four-of-four from three-point range. Junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) added 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 10 points and 12 rebounds, while senior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) also had 10 points for the Bulldogs.
 
Junior forward Lee Martin (Mount Airy, N.C.) led the Catawba attack, scoring all 20 of his points in the second half. Freshman guard Willie Gilmore (Fayetteville, N.C.) added 14 points, while senior guard Justin Huntley (Mooresville, N.C.) added 12 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
 
Wingate used an 8-0 run to take a 23-14 lead 11 minutes into the opening frame. Turner started the spurt with a pair of free throws, while Matilus followed with back-to-back triples to push the lead to nine. Consecutive buckets from sophomore forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) pushed the Wingate lead to 31-18 with 3:46 remaining in the half. Catawba scored the final five points before intermission, trimming the Wingate advantage to eight on a three from sophomore guard Keon Moore (Colerain, N.C.).
 
The ‘Dogs pushed the lead back to 13 in the opening minutes of the second half on a jumper from junior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.). The Indians answered with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to two at the 15:30 mark. Huntley started it with a free throw and layup, while a triple from Lee and layup from Gilmore capped the flurry. Another Martin three with 14:34 remaining gave Catawba the lead, while back-to-back buckets from junior center Maurice Knight (Portsmouth, Va.) gave Catawba a 47-43 lead with 12:41 to go.
 
The Indians took their largest lead of the night when a Martin triple made it 58-52 at the 8:13 mark. Matilus knocked down a three to trim the lead to two, but Huntley came right back with a layup to push the advantage to four. After a Turner layup got the Bulldogs to within one, Catawba got another three from Martin to lead 68-64 with 3:47 remaining. Matilus hit another triple, while a three from Vaughn put the Bulldogs back on top 70-69 at the 2:04 mark.

Turman grabbed the rebound on a Catawba miss, then followed a Turner miss with a dunk to push the lead to three. Matilus knocked down two free throws to push the lead to five, while Turner blocked a three-point attempt from Moore with 24 seconds to go, then put the exclamation point on the victory with a dunk on the other end.
 
The Bulldogs shot 46.7 percent from the field on the night, knocking down six-of-14 from three-point range (42.9 percent). Catawba shot 35.7 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-21 from beyond the arc (33.3 percent). The ‘Dogs out-rebounded the Indians 50-36, holding a 38-22 advantage in the paint and 14-4 edge in second chance points. Catawba converted 13 Wingate turnovers into 18 points, while the Indians committed just five turnovers on the night. The Bulldogs had eight blocks on the night, led by Turner and Parker with three each.
 
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, traveling to Tusculum for a 4 p.m. start. Catawba hosts Anderson (S.C.) Saturday at 4 p.m.