Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior guards Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) and Chase Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md.) combined for 37 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 86-53 Senior Day victory over Brevard College Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. Wingate (17-11, 13-5 SAC) sweeps the season series over the BC Tornados (5-23, 4-14 SAC). The 13 South Atlantic Conference wins for the Bulldogs this season ties a school record.

Vaughn made seven-of-14 shots from the field, finishing with 22 points, a season-high seven rebounds and six assists. Smith made five-of-eight from the field, scoring 15 points. Junior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added 10 points and five boards.

BC freshman forward Aleks Vasiljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) posted a team-high 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Gaither Hendrix (Lenoir, N.C.) finished his Tornado career with 16 points and three rebounds.

Brevard grabbed an early 7-4 lead on a Vasiljevic lay-up. Wingate would tie the game at nine on a Matilus three-point field goal. The Bulldogs jumped out to a five-point lead at 22-17 with six minutes remaining in the first half, but Brevard came right back with five straight, capped by a Hendrix three to tie the game at 22-22.
 
The 22-22 deadlock would be the final tie of the night as Wingate finished the first half with a 16-6 run. Five players scored in the spurt, with sophomore guard Robert Carpenter (Fayetteville, N.C.) finishing the flurry with a corner three-pointer to give Wingate a 38-28 halftime lead.
 
The Bulldogs came out with much more energy in the first five minutes of the second half, posting a 15-3 run to take full control of the game. Smith hit two three-pointers, while junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) scored six points, including a thunderous dunk. Wingate hit three of their season-high 11 triples in the next three minutes to lead by 28. The Bulldogs cruised through the final 11 minutes of play, leading by as much as 36 points.

Wingate shot 52.6 percent, marking the sixth time the Bulldogs shot over 50 percent in conference play this season. The Tornados were held to 30.5 percent by the Bulldogs, who lead the SAC in field goal defense in conference games only. The ‘Dogs made a season-high tying 11 three-pointers, while Brevard managed to shoot only 20 percent (five-of-20) from beyond the arc. Wingate outrebounded BC 39-31 and committed only nine turnovers.

Wingate finishes third in the South Atlantic Conference regular season standings and will now turn its attention to the first round of the Food Lion SAC tournament. The Bulldogs will host sixth-seeded Carson-Newman Wednesday night in the quarterfinals. The tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. Wingate swept the season series with the Eagles. Brevard did not qualify for the tourney, ending its 2011-12 season.
 
(Wingate University Director of Broadcasting and Productions and sports information assistant Ryan Brown wrote this article. Brown is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)