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Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs hit the floor in Cuddy Arena for the first time in 18 days Tuesday night, hosting the Mighty Sabres of Barber-Scotia at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs have won seven straight, entering the contest 7-1 overall to go along with a 5-0 mark in SAC play. Barber-Scotia is 0-14 on the season. This will be the final contest of the 2013 calendar year for the Bulldogs, who do not play again until Jan. 4, 2014, hosting Carson-Newman.

Wingate has notched a pair of overtime road wins during the seven-game winning streak, including a 90-89 victory at Johnson C. Smith last week. Senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) knocked down two free throws in the final seconds of regulation to tie it, while a triple from junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) put Wingate on top by one with under four seconds left in overtime. Daye led the way with 33 points, while Turman added a career-high 29 points to go along with 16 rebounds.

The winning streak start Nov. 20, when the 'Dogs opened SAC play with a 74-52 win over Catawba. Turman had 18 points and 11 boards, while sophomore guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) added 16 points and six rebounds. Daye poured in 35 points in a 98-86 victory at Tusculum, while freshman Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. Wingate moved to 3-0 in SAC play with a 73-59 win against Lenoir-Rhyne. Daye had 19 points and five assists, while junior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) added 12 points.

Wingate collected its fourth straight victory against Barton, prevailing 69-55. Turman piled up 14 points and 19 rebounds, while freshman Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) added 13 points. Daye poured in 32 points in Wingate's overtime win at Anderson, hitting two late threes in regulation to send it to overtime. He also hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds of overtime. Turman added 18 points and 13 boards. Cureton's career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds led the Bulldogs to an 80-63 win at Mars Hill. Dominguez added 16 points and 12 boards, while Turman had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman forward Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 11 points and 10 boards for the Bulldogs.  

Daye leads the team and ranks third in the SAC with 21.6 points per game. The preseason All-SAC selection has knocked down a team-best 25 triples, shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. Daye has scored 32 points or more in four of Wingate's eight games. Turman is averaging 14.8 points and a league-best 11.1 rebounds per game. The preseason All-SAC selection has five double-doubles on the year, including a double-double in each of Wingate's last four contests.

Xavier Griffin is third on the team with 10.1 points per game. He leads the team and ranks 10th in the SAC with 3.5 assists per game while ranking 12th in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Parker is third in the SAC with 2.3 blocks per game, while Cureton is fourth with 2.0 steals per contest and 14th with 6.6 boards per game.