Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Bulldogs past the visiting Pioneers of Tusculum College 77-67 in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 10-4 overall and 7-3 in the SAC. Tusculum falls to 1-15 overall and 0-10 in the conference.

Daye was eight-for-13 from the field, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc while adding four assists and three boards. Senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) notched his league-best ninth double-double of the year with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while freshman forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 15 points, four rebounds and four blocks.

Addison Flynn had 14 points to lead the Tusculum attack, while Jalen Walker and Darius Carter added 13 points apiece. Keith Jumper registered 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for the Pioneers.

A pair of Turman buckets gave the 'Dogs an early 12-9 lead, but a pair of triples from Carter helped the Pioneers take a 21-18 lead at the 8:15 mark. Wingate used a 7-0 run to take a four-point advantage on a Cureton layup with 5:41 remaining in the half. Turman pushed the lead to six with a pair of free throws, but a layup from Chase Mounce helped Tusculum cut the halftime deficit to three at 35-32.

The Bulldogs opened the second half on an 8-0 run, with Daye scoring six of those points to make it 45-32 at the 15:10 mark. A bucket from Neal Spinks trimmed the lead to nine, but a Daye triple helped the 'Dogs push the lead back to 13 with 12:57 left. Tusculum responded with an 8-0 run, cutting the lead to five at 52-47 on a Spinks jumper with 10:41 remaining.

The 'Dogs responded with an 11-0 run to take their biggest lead of the game. Cureton started the flurry with a pair of triples, while a Daye three and Cureton bucket made it 63-47 at the 9:05 mark. Tusculum would not go away, using a 13-2 run to cut the lead to five with 2:28 remaining. Flynn hit a pair of triples in the spurt. A layup from sophomore guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) along with two free throws from freshman guard Austin Crown (Augusta, Ga.) pushed the lead to nine with 35 seconds remaining. Crown added another free throw for the final margin.

The Bulldogs shot 43.3 percent from the field, hitting six-of-16 shots from three-point range (37.5 percent). Tusculum also shot 43.3 percent from the field, knocking down eight-of-15 shots from beyond the arc. Wingate was 19-for-25 from the free throw line (76 percent), while the Pioneers hit just seven-of-19 shots at the charity stripe (36.8 percent). The Bulldogs dominated the boards, out-rebounding Tusculum 48-31 while holding a 38-26 edge in points in the paint and 16-2 advantage in second chance points. The Pioneers converted 17 Wingate turnovers into 15 points.

The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, traveling to Catawba for an 8 p.m. start.