Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) poured in a career-high 30 points Wednesday night, leading the third-seeded Bulldogs past sixth-seeded Newberry College 83-77 in quarterfinal action of the 2013 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball tournament in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 19-8 overall, advancing to the semifinals for the third straight year. Newberry ends its season at 14-13 overall. The contest featured eight ties and 17 lead changes.

“First give Newberry a lot of credit,” head coach Brian Good says. “They gave an unbelievable effort. They came in with confidence and shot it great, especially in the first half. They knew what they needed to do and followed the game plan well. That being said, I’m proud we were able to find a way to get a win. It wasn’t easy. Paidrick was by far our most aggressive guy on our team. He kept us in it early, then pushed us over the top late. I thought Deion caught and finished around the rim late in the game as well as he has all year. Odell did what he has being doing on the boards all year.”

Matilus knocked down four threes on the night, going eight-of-eight from the free throw line while adding three assists, two steals and two rebounds. Junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 19 points and nine rebounds. The SAC leader in field goal percentage went eight-for-eight from the field. Sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) added 14 points and five assists, while senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had eight points and 15 rebounds. The All-SAC selection became only the fourth player in SAC history to go over 900 career rebounds. He is now 10 rebounds shy of the all-time league record. Senior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) contributed nine points and nine assists for the Bulldogs.

Dondray Walker had 21 points to lead the Newberry attack, adding seven rebounds while going eight-of-16 from the field. Aegir Steinarsson and Mitch Riggs added 17 points and five rebounds each. Steinarsson added a team-high six assists.

Newberry was on fire in the opening half, hitting 10-of-13 attempts from three-point range. It was Wingate that built an early lead, with Matilus capping a 7-0 run to give the ‘Dogs a 17-9 lead six minutes into the contest. Newberry had the answer, getting a Steinarsson three and Byron Dickerson layup to take a one-point lead at the midway point of the first half. Walker knocked down a three at the 7:57 mark to put the Wolves on top by two.

Matilus knocked down a triple, while a dunk from Turner and two Matilus free throws gave the Bulldogs a 39-33 lead with 2:44 left in the half. Newberry ended the half on an 8-0 run to take the lead. Riggs and Walker started the spurt with a three and a layup, while a Steinarsson triple gave the Wolves a two-point halftime advantage.

Wingate used a 12-3 run to take a 51-46 lead four minutes into the second half. Turman started it with a bucket and two free throws, then capped it with a three-point play. The Wolves answered with a 12-2 run of their own, taking a 58-53 advantage on Steinarrson’s triple with 11:18 remaining. Turman and Matilus answered with buckets, while a three from Daye tied the game at 65 with 8:11 to go. Walker’s bucket at the 6:19 mark gave the Wolves their final lead of the night at 69-67.

Matilus tied the game with a layup, while Daye followed with a jumper. Daye found Matilus on the next possession for an open three to put the ‘Dogs up by five with 4:31 remaining.  Layups from Matilus and Turman pushed the lead to six with two minutes to go. Demarkus Smith knocked down a three with 25 seconds left to get the Wolves back within three. Kincaid drained a pair of free throws on the other end to secure the Wingate victory.

The Bulldogs shot 49.2 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-25 shots from beyond the arc (28 percent). Newberry shot 46.6 percent from the field, while knocking down 15-of-28 three-point attempts (53.6 percent). Wingate held a 37-28 rebounding advantage, while outscoring the Wolves 40-22 in the paint.

The Bulldogs advance to the semifinals of the SAC Tournament Saturday night at 8 p.m. Wingate will face second-seeded Anderson University at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C. The Bulldogs and Trojans spit the regular season series, with each team winning on the other team’s home court. Wingate defeated Anderson 66-59 in last year’s SAC Tournament championship game.