Box Score

Aiken, S.C.----The 25th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs had four players in double figures Saturday night, winning 65-60 over fifth seeded Limestone College in the opening round of the 2013 NCAA Southeast Regionals. The Bulldogs improve to 22-8 overall, while Limestone ends its season at 21-9.

Wingate has now won five straight games and 10 of its last 12 overall. The two-time defending SAC Tournament champions will face top-seeded and tournament host USC Aiken in the regional semifinals Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs knocked off second-seeded USC Aiken in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Southeast Regionals.

“We knew our team was 0-4 against Limestone coming in,” head coach Brian Good says. “I was proud of our effort, especially defensively in the second half.”

Senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) added 14 points on seven-of-12 shooting. Senior guard Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) had 11 points, while junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) contributed 10 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the Bulldogs.

Charles Blue had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Limestone attack. PJ Foster added 14 points, while Phillip Moultrie had 10 points and six boards for the Saints.

Threes from Foster and Blue gave Limestone a 21-10 lead eight minutes into the contest. Buckets from Turner and Daye cut the lead to seven, but Foster drained another three to make it a 10-point game with nine minutes remaining. Trailing by nine with 4:21 left in the half, the ‘Dogs closed the first half on an 11-5 run. Lewis and senior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) started the flurry with buckets, while Lewis made it a three-point game with a triple. A Turner layup at the buzzer got Wingate to within one at halftime.

Daye knocked down a jumper to give the Bulldogs the lead a minute into the second half. Limestone responded with a 5-0 run, taking a four-point lead on a Moultrie layup with 17:34 remaining. A three-point play from Blue at the 13:41 mark gave the Saints a 45-40 lead. The Bulldogs had the answer, getting three-point plays from Turman and Matilus to take a one-point lead 35 seconds later.

Limestone regained a three-point advantage on a layup from Avery Bomar with 8:54 remaining. Wingate countered with an 8-0 run to take a five-point lead. Turner and Lewis started the flurry with layups, while Turman capped it with back-to-back layups to make it 58-53 with 6:19 to go. The Saints would score the next seven points to take a two-point lead on Foster’s triple with 2:22 remaining.

Senior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) knocked down a runner in the paint to tie it at 60 with two minutes to go. Matilus came up with a steal on the other end, knocking down a free throw to put Wingate back on top. Limestone missed a pair of shots on its next possession, with Turman grabbing the rebound with 22 seconds remaining. Kincaid knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game. The Saints missed another three and Turner grabbed the rebound, knocking down two free throws to seal it for the Bulldogs.

Wingate shot 50 percent from the field, hitting two-of-10 shots from three-point range (20 percent). The Bulldogs held Limestone to 38 percent shooting, while the Saints went 10-for-22 from beyond the arc (45 percent). Limestone out-rebounded Wingate 35-30 on the night. The Bulldogs converted 14 Limestone turnovers into 18 points. The ‘Dogs also had an 11-4 edge in second-chance points.

Wingate and USC Aiken will meet in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year Sunday at 7:30 p.m. “I’m sure we have their attention after last year,” Good says. “We are going to have to be ready to go. We got better as the game went along tonight, so hopefully you will see two teams ready to play on Sunday.”