Box Score  

Newberry, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs held the nation’s third-best offense 51 points below its season average Wednesday night, registering a dominant 79-42 victory at Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action. The Bulldogs move to 9-4 overall and 5-0 in the SAC, notching their fourth league win of at least 20 points. Newberry falls to 5-8 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

Wingate has won four straight games, all coming against league opponents. The closest contest was a 21-point victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a combined 111 points in the four-game winning streak, winning by an average of 27.75 points. The ‘Dogs have shot over 50 percent a league-best seven times this year, shooting over 52 percent in each of their last five contests. The 56.7 percent Wingate shot Wednesday night eclipses the season high which the Bulldogs set Saturday at Mars Hill when they shot 55.4 percent.

Junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had a career-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds to lead the Wingate attack, hitting seven-of-eight shots from the field. Senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C) added 11 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) also had 11 points. Senior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) registered 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals, while senior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) contributed 10 points for the Bulldogs.

Dondray Walker was the only Newberry player to hit double figures, scoring 14 points on four-of-12 shooting. The Wolves entered the contest averaging 92.9 points per game and 103.3 points per contest at home. The 42 points they scored were 25 points less than any other game this season. The Wolves had not shot below 30 percent from the field until Wednesday night, when the Bulldogs held them to 20.7 percent shooting. The 12 field goals made on Wednesday were 10 fewer than any other contest, while Newberry’s five made three pointers were six under its season average, which ranks second nationally. The Bulldogs entered Wednesday night leading the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense.

“I know it may sound like a broken record, but our defensive intensity and focus was outstanding,” head coach Brian Good says. “On offense, our 20 assists indicates that we were really sharing the ball well.”

Wingate scored the first six points of the contest and never looked back. A layup and a jumper from Turman, followed by a three-point play from senior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) made it 15-3, while a jumper from freshman guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) and a three from senior Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) pushed the lead to 17 at the 11:33 mark.

A triple from Daye, followed by a Turner free throw gave Wingate its first 20-point lead of the night with 7:49 remaining in the first half. A jumper from Walker trimmed the lead to 17 at the 6:29 mark, but an 8-0 Wingate run pushed the advantage to 25. Kincaid capped the flurry with back-to-back buckets. Newberry ended the half on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 39-21 at halftime.

A three-point play from Walker got the Wolves to within 16 points at the 17:39 mark. That would be as close as Newberry would get the rest of the way. Layups from Turner and Turman started an 8-0 run, with a Matilus layup capping it to make it 53-29 with 13:50 remaining. A Turman dunk put the lead over 30 at the 4:32 mark. A triple from Lewis, followed by a three-point play from Griffin gave Wingate a 37-point lead, its largest of the night.

The Bulldogs shot a season-best 56.7 percent from the field on the night, shooting 64.3 percent in the second half. The Wolves were 12-for-58 on the night (20.7 percent), while going five-for-27 from three-point range (18.5 percent). Wingate out-rebounded Newberry 44-33, while dominating inside, outscoring the Wolves 50-12 in the paint. The Bulldogs converted 19 Newberry turnovers into 25 points, while holding a 12-2 advantage in fast-break points.

Wingate returns to action Saturday, hosting Brevard at 4 p.m. Newberry hosts Catawba Saturday at 4 p.m.