Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs return home Wednesday night after notching a pair of conference road victories last week. Wingate will host the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University at 8 p.m. The Bulldogs are 12-10 overall and 8-4 in the SAC, alone in third place. The Bears enter the contest 11-10 overall and 7-5 in the conference.
 
The Bulldogs went on the road to Catawba a week ago, and led by as many as 36 in the second half. Wingate finished with a 93-71 victory at Catawba, led by senior guard Jaime Vaughn’s 24 points. Senior guard Chase Smith added 13 points, hitting all four of his shots from the field, including all three from beyond the arc. Junior forward Odell Turner added 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
 
Wingate traveled to Tennessee Saturday and snapped Carson Newman’s three-game winning streak with a 78-64 win. Turner had 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals to lead the attack. Sophomore forward Deion Turman had 15 points and 11 boards, while junior guard Paidrick Matilus added 10 points for the Bulldogs.
 
Wingate’s balanced attack has three players averaging double figures, with seven Bulldogs scoring at least five points per game. Vaughn leads the team and ranks 10th in the SAC with 15 points per game. Turner is 18th in the league with 11.8 points per game, while ranking second with 1.68 blocks and fifth with 7.0 rebounds per game. Matilus is 21st in the league with 11.3 points per contest, while ranking second, shooting 90.2 percent from the free throw line.
 
Junior guard Ethan Kincaid is second in the SAC with 4.27 assists per game, while ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio. He ranks ninth in the conference with 1.32 steals per game, while ranking 15th in defensive rebounds. Junior guard Eddie Lewis leads the SAC, shooting 55.7 percent from three-point range. The ‘Dogs lead the league with 5.91 blocks per game. Sophomore forward Jeff Parker is fourth in the league with 1.67 rejections per game, with Turman right behind him, notching 1.48 blocks per game.
 
The Bulldogs and Bears met earlier this season in Hickory, with Lenoir-Rhyne registering a 75-71 win to snap Wingate’s four-game winning streak. D.J. Blackmon led the Bears with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Vaughn and junior forward Quan Alexander had 16 points each to lead the Bulldogs, while Matilus added 14.
 
The Bears notched an 83-81 victory over Newberry on Saturday. Blackmon led the way with 21 points, while Kevin Davis added 19 for the Bears. Allan Jones added 15 off the LRU bench. Jones leads the Lenoir-Rhyne attack with 11.6 points per game, with Blackmon averaging 10.1 points per contest.

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.
 
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 
Wingate SGA Game Day for basketball!
 
Men’s Basketball HOSTS Lenoir-Rhyne (8 p.m.)
Multimedia opportunities: PPV live video / Live audio / Live stats
NOTE: Union County Time Warner Cable customers can watch live on Ch. 22!