Box Score  

Salisbury, N.C.----The Catawba College Indians jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead, then withstood a Wingate rally in the second half to secure a 90-77 victory over the visiting Bulldogs in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night in Goodman Gym. Catawba improves to 5-10 overall and 5-6 in the SAC while the Bulldogs fall to 10-5 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

Kijuan Arrington led the Catawba attack with 21 points, adding five rebounds. Reggie Perkins and Elon Edwards added 13 points each, while Tyrece Little had 12 points and three blocks. Vismantas Marijosiu contributed 11 points, while Julian Sampah had 10 points.

Junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) had 19 points to lead the Wingate attack, adding five rebounds and four assists. Junior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 18 points and seven boards, while senior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) scored all eight of his points in the second half. Redshirt freshman guard Bryce Benjamin (Greensboro, N.C.) contributed a career-high eight points for the Bulldogs.

Buckets from Arrington and Little gave Catawba an early 14-4 lead. A Benjamin layup and Turman dunk trimmed the lead to seven, but a triple from Marijosiu and a Sampah jumper made it 25-13 with 11 minutes left. Wingate scored the next seven points, cutting the lead to four on a pair of Turman free throws at the 8:14 mark.

The Indians used an 8-0 run to push the lead back to 13. Arrington started the flurry with a triple, then capped it with a free throw. A pair of Daye layups trimmed the lead to nine, but a Sampah bucket and Perkins three made it 45-31 at the 2:36 mark. A pair of Edwards free throws made it 52-37 at halftime.

The Bulldogs went to the big men early in the second half, trimming the lead to six at the 13:47 mark, with Turman and Parker combining to score 14 of Wingate's 16 points. Edwards stretched the lead back to 10, but the 'Dogs got back to within six on two Daye free throws with 7:35 remaining.

The Bulldogs could never get the lead below six. Another Edwards layup pushed the advantage back to double figures at the 6:56 mark. A tip-in from freshman Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) made it a seven-point game with 6:23 to go, but buckets from Arrington and Perkins made it 84-70 with 3:34 remaining. The lead remained in double figures the rest of the way.

Catawba shot 43.7 percent from the field, hitting four-of-17 shots from three-point range (23.5 percent). Wingate shot 48.2 percent, hitting two-of-14 shots from beyond the arc (14.3 percent). The Indians held a 41-37 rebounding edge, piling up 17 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points. Catawba converted 16 Wingate turnovers into 15 points.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, hosting Brevard at 4 p.m.