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Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs play their second of three straight home games Thursday night, hosting the Cobras of Coker College in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action at 8 p.m. The 'Dogs enter the contest in a tie for second place in the SAC standings at 11-5 overall and 8-4 in the conference. Coker is 9-7 overall and 6-6 in the SAC. Wingate will provide free HD video along with live stats.

After having a two-game winning streak snapped last Wednesday at Catawba, the Bulldogs returned home Saturday and cruised to an 85-69 win over Brevard. Senior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) scored a career-high 23 points on 10-of-10 shooting from the field, adding 10 rebounds to notch his third double-double of the year. Freshman Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) added 13 points in his first career start, while sophomore guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) had 10 points and five assists. Redshirt freshman Terrill Hilliard (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and freshman forward Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) had 10 points apiece.

The Bulldogs are one of four teams to enter Wednesday night in a four-way tie for second in the SAC standings. Wingate, Newberry, Anderson and Carson-Newman are all 8-4 in the conference, with LMU in first at 11-1. The Bulldogs opened conference play with five consecutive wins, with four of those victories coming by double figures. Wingate then dropped three consecutive contests before reeling off two straight wins to move to 7-3 in league play. That was followed by the Catawba loss and Brevard win.

The two-game winning streak started with an 80-63 win over Queens. Junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) had 23 points, while Dominguez added 19 points. Parker had nine points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Bulldogs. The 'Dogs followed with a 77-67 win over Tusculum, with Daye scoring 22 points. Senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 16 points and 13 rebounds, while freshman Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) had 15 points.  

Wingate and Coker have not met since November of 2010, with the Bulldogs prevailing 71-58 in Cuddy Arena.

As a team, the Bulldogs lead the SAC in field goal percentage defense (38.6 percent), while ranking second with 43.9 rebounds per game and rebounding margin, out-rebounding opponents by 8.1 boards per game. The Bulldogs rank eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense and 14th in rebounding margin. Wingate has dominated inside all season, outscoring its opponents in the paint 14 of 16 contests. The Bulldogs are averaging 40.25 points per game in the paint, outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.5 points per contest. Wingate has been outscored in the paint only once this year (34-28 vs. Carson-Newman).

Daye leads the Bulldogs and ranks seventh in the SAC with 19.0 points per game, shooting 36.9 percent from three-point range. He has scored over 30 points four times this season. Turman is averaging 13.7 points per game, leading the SAC with 10.3 rebounds per game and nine double-doubles. He ranks 11th nationally in doubles-doubles and 14th in rebounds per contest.

Dominguez is scoring 10.8 points per game for the Bulldogs, shooting 48 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three-point range. He ranks third among SAC freshman in scoring, while ranking 10th overall in three-point percentage. Sophomore guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) is scoring 7.7 points per contest, ranking fourth in the league with 3.9 assists per game. Cureton is scoring 7.9 points per game, adding 6.3 rebounds per contest while ranking fifth in the league with 1.6 steals per game. Parker is third in the SAC with 2.0 blocks per game.

The Cobras are led by Julian Nelson, who ranks ninth in the SAC with 18.0 points per game. Larry Felder is averaging 12.7 points, shooting a SAC-best 67.9 percent from the field. Teon Beckett is contributing 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. After losing two straight to Carson-Newman and Newberry, Coker defeated Tusculum 91-78 on Saturday, with Nelson scoring 31 points on six-of-nine shooting from three-point range. Errick Bethel added 22 points off the bench, hitting six-of-10 shots from beyond the arc.