Box Score  

Hickory, N.C.----Wingate University senior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) scored a season-high 20 points Wednesday night, leading the Bulldogs past the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University 69-57 in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action. The Bulldogs improve to 13-6 overall and 9-2 in the SAC, while LRU falls to 14-5 overall and 7-4 in the conference, losing at home for just the second time this season. 

Kincaid went seven-of-11 from the field, hitting three-of-six shots from beyond the arc while adding five assists and four steals. Junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 15 points and nine rebounds, going six-of-eight from the field. Senior guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) and freshman guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed nine points each, with Lewis knocking down three triples and Griffin handing out four assists. 

B.J. Beasley had 12 points to lead the Lenoir-Rhyne attack. R.J. McClure and Matt Kunz chipped in with 10 points each for the Bears, while Denzel Dillingham and Mark Terrell had nine points each. 

The first half stayed tight throughout, with neither team ever leading by more than four points. A Turman bucket with 11:40 to go put Wingate on top by two, but a three from McClure, followed by a Terrell jumper put the Bears on top by three. The Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 run, getting buckets from Turner, Griffin and junior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) in the flurry. McClure knocked down a jumper to put LRU back on top, while Dillingham followed with a bucket to make it a four-point game with four minutes remaining. Kincaid knocked down a pair of triples, while Lewis added a three to help Wingate go back on top in the final two minutes. A Griffin layup in the final 90 seconds helped Wingate take a 32-29 lead into intermission. 

The Bulldogs never trailed in the second half. Lewis knocked down a triple three minutes into the half, while a steal and layup from Kincaid pushed the lead to seven at the 16:33 mark. Lenoir-Rhyne scored the next six points, making it a one-point game on a Kunz jumper with 13:27 remaining. Parker answered with a layup, while a Lewis three pushed the lead back to six. Kincaid’s bucket with 9:12 remaining gave the Bulldogs a 51-43 lead. 

Kunz hit a pair of free throws and a layup to get the Bears back within four at the 6:49 mark. Griffin answered with a three-point play, while Kunz knocked down another jumper to make it 54-49. Turman slammed home a dunk on the other end, and was intentionally fouled in the process. He hit one free throw, while Turner added a bucket to push the lead to 10 with six minutes to go. Beasley answered with a bucket, but Kincaid knocked down another three to push the advantage to 11. Buckets from Turman and Griffin, along with a Kincaid free throw gave Wingate its largest lead of the night at 67-53 with 2:44 remaining. 

Wingate shot 55.1 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-17 shots from three-point range (41.2 percent). LRU shot 36.8 percent from the field, including 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. The Bears were three-of-seven from beyond the arc (42.9 percent). Wingate held a 35-34 rebounding advantage, while out-scoring Lenoir-Rhyne 34-12 in the paint. 

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, traveling to Tusculum for a 4 p.m. start. Lenoir-Rhyne plays at Carson-Newman Saturday at 4 p.m.