Box Score  

Mars Hill, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) needed only 21 minutes to score a career-high 26 points Saturday afternoon, leading the Bulldogs to a dominant 89-65 victory at Mars Hill College in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action. Wingate moves to 8-4 overall and 4-0 in the SAC, while the Lions fall to 3-9 overall and 0-4 in the conference.

The Bulldogs shot a season-high 55.4 percent from the field, scoring a season-high 89 points. Wingate has now won three consecutive SAC contests by at least 20 points. The Bulldogs have won their last three league games by a combined 74 points, while shooting above 50 percent for the fourth straight game and sixth time on the season.

Daye sets a career high for the third time in his last four games. The reigning SAC Player of the Week went nine-of-12 from the field, hitting five-of-seven shots from three-point range. He also had three steals on the afternoon. Sophomore center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added a season-high 14 points to go along with nine rebounds and three blocks. Senior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) had a season-high 13 points on five-of-eight shooting, while senior guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) knocked down four threes to score a season-high 12 points.

Khouraichi Thiam had 21 points and seven rebounds to lead the Mars Hill attack. Kevin Haynes and Jalen Witherspoon added 13 points each, while Kacey Holt chipped in with 12 points for the Lions.

Mars Hill jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the opening three minutes. Thiam had eight points in the early spurt. Trailing by five at the 12:52 mark, the Bulldogs used an 11-0 run to take a six-point lead. Daye scored all 11 points, knocking down a pair of triples while adding a three-point play.

A pair of buckets from Witherspoon got the Lions back to within one at the 5:38 mark, but three straight Turman buckets pushed the Wingate advantage back to seven with four minutes remaining in the half. The ‘Dogs added an 8-0 run to take their largest lead of the half with 52 seconds left. Alexander had three points in the spurt, while Lewis added a triple. A layup from Haynes with three seconds remaining cut Wingate’s lead to 42-32 at halftime.

It was Wingate that came out hot in the second half, scoring the first seven points to take a 49-32 lead two minutes into the half. The Bulldogs used a 17-3 run to push the advantage to 31 at the 13:32 mark. Lewis knocked down a triple to start the flurry, while Daye a dunk and two free throws to pushed the lead to 25. Junior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) added a layup, while back-to-back threes from Daye gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the day at 70-39. Mars Hill would get no closer than 23 the rest of the way.

Wingate hit 36-of-65 shots on the afternoon for its season-high shooting percentage, going nine-for-23 from beyond the arc (39.1 percent). Mars Hill shot 39.3 percent from the field, hitting two-of-16 shots from three-point range (12.5 percent). The Bulldogs dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Lions 45-30. Wingate converted 15 turnovers into 26 points.

The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, traveling to Newberry for an 8 p.m. start. The Lions host Carson-Newman Wednesday at 8 p.m.