Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs look to continue their solid conference start Wednesday night when they host the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University at 8 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. Wingate enters the contest 6-4 overall and 2-0 in the SAC. Lenoir-Rhyne enters the matchup 8-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

Wingate improved to 2-0 in the conference with a convincing 76-47 victory over Tusculum Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. SAC Player of the Week Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with a career-high 23 points, knocking down eight-of-11 shots from the field. The sophomore had set a career high at Mount Olive on Dec. 19 when he had 22 points on seven-of-nine shooting. Daye went 15-for-20 from the field in the two games, hitting six-of-eight shots from three-point range. Senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) added 12 points, six rebounds and four steals Saturday, while Wingate held the Pioneers to 36 percent shooting from field and converted 21 turnovers into 27 points.

The Bulldogs opened conference play on the road in late November, notching a 64-62 victory at Catawba. Turner knocked down a jump hook with two seconds left to give the Bulldogs the road win, as Wingate rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final seven minutes. Turner had 15 points, nine rebounds and six steals on the night, while senior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added 13 points for the Bulldogs.

Turner leads the Bulldogs with 12.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. The preseason All-SAC selection ranks second in the league in rebounds and 14th with 1.5 steals per contest. Matilus is second on the team with 11.8 points per game, ranking eighth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (45.2 percent). Daye is third on the team with 10.2 points per contest, while shooting a league-best 54.5 percent from beyond the arc. Senior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) is fourth in the SAC with 4.3 assists per game, ranking second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Junior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) is third in the conference with 1.5 blocks per game.

Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne split the season series last year, with each team winning at home. The Bears won 75-71 in Hickory, while Wingate cruised to a 70-47 victory in Cuddy Arena. Senior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) had 16 points to lead the Bulldogs on the road, while Matilus added 14 points. Junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in Cuddy Arena, while Turner added 12 points, six rebounds and five blocks. The Bulldogs held the Bears to 30 percent shooting on the night.

The Bears are led by Denzel Dillingham, who ranks sixth in the SAC with 16.5 points per game. R.J. McClure is second on the team with 11.8 points per contest, while Matt Kuns is averaging 11.3 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game. The Bears lost 69-65 at Anderson to open conference play. They responded with a 69-57 win over Carson-Newman, getting 28 points from Dillingham. Lenoir-Rhyne has won four of its last five games, including a 60-58 victory at Lander Dec. 29.

The Bulldogs hit the road for four of their next five games after Wednesday. Wingate travels to Newberry on Saturday, then plays at Mars Hill next Wednesday. The Bulldogs host Brevard Saturday, Jan. 19, then travel to Anderson the following Wednesday and Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Jan. 26.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University, ranked as the 6th “best value” in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves nearly 2,700 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy and education. With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past six years.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000’s with 52 selections. Among North Carolina’s colleges and universities, Wingate’s 52 Academic All-America® honorees are tied for first (with Duke University) during this millennium. Wingate’s 61 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information, go towww.wingatebulldogs.com.