Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs registered their third consecutive double-digit conference victory Tuesday night, defeating the visiting Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University 73-59 in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the SAC, while LRU falls to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference.

Sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) had 19 points and five assists to lead the Wingate attack, going seven-for-seven from the free throw line. Senior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, while senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 11 points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, while freshman forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) had seven points, seven rebounds and three steals.

R.J. McClure had 15 points to lead the Lenoir-Rhyne attack. Matt Kunz added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Will Perry had seven points and five rebounds.

Wingate used a 6-0 run to take a 19-12 lead eight minutes into the opening half, getting four points from Daye in the flurry. LRU trimmed the lead to three when a jumper and a layup from Kunz made it 21-18. Cureton knocked down a three to push the Wingate lead back to eight, but the Bears scored the next eight points, tying the game at 29 on a pair of McClure free throws at the 3:10 mark. A three-point play from Griffin, followed by a Cureton steal and layup and a pair of Daye free throws put the Bulldogs on top 38-31 at halftime.

A Turman three-point play to open the second half gave the 'Dogs a 10-point lead. A jumper from Lawrence Miller got Lenoir-Rhyne to within six with 15:47 to go. Wingate answered with a 6-0 run, holding the Bears without a field goal for over six minutes while a Cureton layup and two Turman free throws made it 53-39 with 12:31 remaining.

A layup from Roy Noyes cut the lead to nine at the 7:33 mark. Daye answered with a triple but a layup from Allan Jones with 3:24 remaining cut the Wingate lead to eight at 63-55. A dunk from Turman off a Daye feed put the lead back in double figures. A pair of free throws from Perry cut the lead to eight with 48 seconds left, but Daye, freshman Austin Crown (Augusta, Ga.) and redshirt freshman Bryce Benjamin (Greensboro, N.C.) went six-for-six from the free throw line in the final 46 seconds to make the final margin 73-59.

Wingate shot 53.5 percent from the field, going three-for-nine from three-point range (33.3 percent). The Bulldogs were 24-for-25 at the free throw line (96 percent). Lenoir-Rhyne shot 40 percent from the field, while going four-for-15 from beyond the arc (26.7 percent). Wingate held a 32-25 rebounding advantage, outscoring LRU 32-26 in the paint. Wingate converted 15 Lenoir-Rhyne turnovers into 17 points, while the Bears held an 11-4 edge in second-chance points.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, stepping out of conference play to host Barton at 4 p.m.