Jefferson City, Tenn.----The Wingate University Bulldogs look to build off the momentum from Wednesday’s 22-point victory at Catawba, as they travel to Tennessee Saturday to take on the Eagles of Carson-Newman College Saturday at 4 p.m. Wingate is 11-10 overall and 7-4 in the SAC. The Eagles are 13-8 overall and 6-5 in the conference. Wingate is in a two-way tie for third place in the league, a game up on fifth-place Carson-Newman.
 
The Bulldogs shot a season-best 61.1 percent from the field Wednesday night at Catawba, winning 93-71. Wingate led by as many as 36 points in the second half and hit nine-of-14 from three-point range on the night (64.3 percent). The ‘Dogs scored 16 straight points in a second half spurt, going on a 25-3 run en route to the lopsided margin.
 
Senior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) led the way with 24 points. The two-time All-SAC selection hit eight-of-15 shots from the field, including two-of-three shooting from beyond the arc, adding five assists and four rebounds. Senior guard Chase Smith (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 13 points, hitting all four shots from the field and all three attempts from three-point range. Junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who had seven players score at least eight points on the night.
 
The Bulldogs have won five straight over the Eagles, including an 83-74 victory earlier this season in Cuddy Arena. Turner had 18 points and six rebounds to lead the Wingate attack, while Vaughn added 16 points and four assists. Sophomore forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Ishmael Sanders led the Eagles with a game-high 24 points.
 
Wingate’s balanced attack has three players averaging in double figures, with seven Bulldogs scoring at least five points per game. Vaughn leads the team and ranks ninth in the SAC with 15.5 points per game. Turner is 18th in the league, averaging 11.7 points per contest. He ranks fourth in the conference with 1.62 blocks per game and fifth with 7.0 rebounds per contests. Matilus is right behind him with 11.3 points per game, ranking second in the SAC, shooting 90.2 percent from the free throw line.
 
Junior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) is second in the SAC with 4.29 assists per game, while ranking third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. He leads the league with 4.45 assists per game in league contests. Kincaid also ranks 12th in the conference in steals and defensive rebounds. Junior guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) leads the SAC, shooting 55.9 percent from three-point range. Wingate leads the league and ranks third nationally with 6.0 blocks per game. Parker is second in the SAC with 1.75 blocks per game, with sophomore forward Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) ranking fifth with 1.55 blocks per contest.
 
The Eagles enter the weekend with a three-game winning streak, which started with a 64-61 win at fifth-ranked Lincoln Memorial. Jared Johnson led the way with 17 points, while Antoine Davis added 16 for the Eagles. Davis scored 25 in the 84-63 win at Brevard Wednesday night, hitting six-of-nine shots from three-point range. Davis leads Carson-Newman and ranks fourth in the SAC with 18.8 points per game, while Sanders is seventh in the league with 16.0 points per contest. Sanders and Davis rank second and third in the conference, combining to hit 5.86 three pointers per game.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,500 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.
 
Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.
 
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.
 
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 42 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 51 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.
 
(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)