Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----Anderson University junior guard Chandler Hash poured in 33 points Wednesday night as the Trojans rallied for a 76-73 victory over Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Anderson and Wingate now have identical 16-7 overall records, while both are now 12-3 in the SAC. The Trojans and Bulldogs are in a three-way tie for first place in the league standings, along with Lincoln Memorial. 

Hash went 11-for-14 on the night, while connecting on nine-of-11 shots from beyond the arc. Denzail Jones added 20 points and four assists, while Kyle Sledge contributed 12 points and seven rebounds for the Trojans. 

Junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Wingate attack, going eight-for-10 from the field. Senior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added 16 points and five rebounds. Senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) had 13 points, three assists and three steals. 

A pair of free throws from Jones, followed by a Hash triple gave Anderson a 16-9 lead seven minutes into the contest. A Matilus three helped Wingate trim the lead to two, but buckets from Jones and Bo Holston pushed the advantage back to six. Wingate answered with a 12-2 run to take a four-point lead. Matilus started the flurry with a triple, while a Daye three tied it. Turman capped the spurt with a jump hook at the 7:15 mark, giving Wingate a 26-22 lead. The Bulldogs took a five-point lead on a Matilus jumper two minutes later. Jones trimmed the Anderson deficit to two with a jumper at the two-minute mark, but a jumper from Daye gave the Bulldogs a 36-32 halftime lead. 

Threes from Lewis and Daye sparked an 8-0 run which gave Wingate its largest lead of the night at 51-41 at the 15:07 mark. Anderson answered with the next 10 points to tie it. Sledge had the first four points in the run, while Hash capped it with a pair of threes. The Bulldogs pushed the lead back to five on a three-point play from Daye and a Turman bucket with 11:46 remaining. Hash drained another three to make it a one-point game with 9:42 to go. Turner hit a pair of free throws and a layup, while a Turman jumper gave Wingate a 67-60 advantage with 6:12 remaining. 

The Trojans used a 9-1 run to take their first lead of the half on a Holston jumper with 3:36 to go. The Bulldogs regained the lead when senior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) knocked down a triple, making it 71-69. Hash put Anderson back on top by one with a three-point play on the other end, but a Turner layup gave the ‘Dogs a 73-72 advantage at the 1:26 mark. A block from Turman gave Wingate the ball back with under a minute to go, but a turnover gave it back to Anderson with 25 seconds remaining. Hash knocked down his ninth triple of the night to give the Trojans a 75-73 lead. The Bulldogs turned it over on the other end. Jones knocked down one of two free throws, but a desperation three from Wingate at the buzzer would not fall, giving Anderson the road win. 

Anderson shot 55.8 percent from the field, the highest field goal percentage Wingate has allowed an opponent to shoot this year. The 10 threes the Trojans hit are also a season high by a Bulldog opponent, as well as the 58.8 percent Anderson shot from beyond the arc. Wingate shot 48.4 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-19 from three-point range (36.8 percent). The Bulldogs held a 30-24 rebounding advantage, out-scoring the Trojans 16-11 in second-chance points. Each team had 12 turnovers and 14 points off turnovers on the night. 

Wingate travels to Brevard Saturday for a 4 p.m. start. The Trojans travel to Carson-Newman Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip.