Wingate, N.C.----The defending Food Lion SAC Tournament champion Wingate University Bulldogs open their 2012-13 campaign at home Friday night, hosting Queens University of Charlotte at 6 p.m. in Cuddy Arena on day one of the Tip-Off Classic. Wingate will host Limestone Saturday at 8 p.m. The Bulldogs went 21-12 last season, winning the SAC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA regional semifinals. Wingate was picked as the preseason SAC favorite this year in a vote by the league coaches.

“This is the last year of what has been an intense opening weekend these past three seasons,” head coach Brian Good says. “Queens and Limestone have been at or near the top of the Conference Carolinas, so we will find out where we stand as a team very early. I look forward to watching my guys compete.”

The Bulldogs have five seniors this year, with four projected to start. Senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) is the leading returning scorer and rebounder from last year’s team. The preseason first team All-SAC selection averaged 11.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last year. Classmate Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) earned preseason second team All-SAC honors this year. He scored 10.3 points per contest last season, shooting 86.9 percent from the free throw line.

Senior point guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) finished second in the SAC with 4.19 assists last year, while ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio. Senior guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) shot a league-best 51.8 percent from three-point range last year, knocking down a team-best 43 triples. Senior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) has scored 754 points during his Wingate career. He averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season.

The Bulldogs led the SAC in blocked shots last year, and return the three main components of the formidable front line. Turner was third with 1.67 blocks per contest last season. Junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) finished fourth with 1.50 blocks per game, finishing just ahead of junior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.), who rejected 1.32 shots per game. Turman added 5.3 points and 4.9 boards per contest, while Parker contributed 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Wingate will have a deep team in the 2012-13 season, going at least nine-deep every contest. In addition to Turman and Alexander, sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) and freshman guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) will see some key minutes off the bench starting this weekend.

The Bulldogs closed out the 2011-12 season by winning 11 of their last 13 games. That includes three SAC Tournament victories and an NCAA Tournament win. Wingate will look to get off to a better start this year, after starting last season with a 2-6 record.

Wingate lost a pair of close games in last year’s Tip-Off Classic against Limestone and Queens. The Bulldogs opened the year at Limestone, dropping a 67-66 decision despite leading by seven with under four minutes remaining. Turner led the way with 22 points and six boards. Queens held on for a 63-59 victory on day two of the season, despite 18 points and 13 rebounds from Turner. Lewis knocked down three-of-six shots from beyond the arc, scoring 11 points for the Bulldogs.

Queens finished the 2011-12 season 19-10 overall, going 13-3 in Conference Carolinas to finish second in the league. Limestone went 12-16 last season, going 5-11 in the conference, finishing tied for ninth in the league standings. Lenoir-Rhyne will be the fourth team in the Tip-Off Classic.  The Bears went 12-16 overall last year and 8-10 in the SAC, finishing in a three-way tie for fifth place in the SAC. LRU will take on Limestone Friday at 4 p.m., then play Queens Saturday at 4 p.m.

Tip-Off Classic Schedule
Friday, November 9
4 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Limestone
6 p.m. Wingate vs. Queens
Saturday, November 10
4 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Queens
8 p.m. Wingate vs. Limestone

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University, ranked as the 6th “best value” in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves 2,648 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy and education. With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life.

In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 20 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past six years.

Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000’s with 50 selections. Among North Carolina’s colleges and universities, Wingate’s 50 Academic All-America® honorees are first during this millennium. Wingate’s 59 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.