Box Score

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs closed the game on a 23-10 run Wednesday night, registering a 78-65 victory over the visiting Newberry College Wolves in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs remain in a tie atop the league standings, improving to 15-6 overall and 11-2 in the SAC. Newberry falls to 10-11 overall and 6-7 in the conference.

Senior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) led five Bulldogs in double figures with 18 points, adding eight rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while senior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, going six-for-six from the field while adding three blocks. Senior guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) knocked down four triples on the night, notching 12 points and three assists.

Brandon Riley had 14 points to lead the Newberry attack, adding four rebounds. Dondray Walker had 12 points and three rebounds, while Demarkus Smith also had 12 points for the Wolves, adding four steals.

Wingate came out hot, taking an 11-2 lead five minutes into the game. Turner had four points in the early spurt, while Kincaid added a triple. Threes from Kincaid and Lewis pushed the lead to 12 at 25-13 with 6:26 to go. Another three from Kincaid gave Wingate its largest lead of the half at 30-16 with 4:28 remaining. Newberry responded with a 10-0 run, cutting the Bulldog lead to four with 31 seconds remaining. Matilus knocked down a jumper with four seconds remaining to make it 32-26 at halftime.

A Kincaid three, followed by a jumper from senior forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) gave Wingate a nine-point lead 10 minutes into the second half. The Wolves answered with a 9-0 run to tie it. Riley had a three-point play in the flurry, while Walker added a triple. Smith tied it at 55 with a layup at the 8:21 mark.

The Bulldogs scored the next 10 points to take a 65-55 lead three minutes later. Lewis started the spurt with a big three, while Parker added a layup. Turner followed with a three-point play, while Matilus added a pair of free throws. Newberry knocked down a pair of free throws, but jumpers from Turner and Kincaid pushed the lead to 12 with three minutes remaining. Mitch Riggs hit a three to get the Wolves back within nine, but Lewis buried a triple on the ensuing possession to make it 74-62 with 2:12 to go. A layup from Parker at the 1:48 mark gave the Bulldogs a 14-point advantage. The lead would remain in double figures the rest of the way.

Wingate shot 52.6 percent from the field, shooting 60.7 percent in the second half. The Bulldogs knocked down eight-of-20 shots from three-point range (40 percent). Newberry shot 36.1 percent from the field, hitting six-of-22 shots from beyond the arc (27.3 percent). The Wolves were held to their second lowest point total of the season. Only the 42 points scored in the first meeting against Wingate was a lower output from the nation’s third best offense. The teams had 37 rebounds each, with Wingate outscoring Newberry 36-26 in the paint.

Wingate returns to action Saturday, hosting Mars Hill at 4 p.m. Newberry hosts Carson-Newman Saturday at 4 p.m.