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Wingate, N.C.----The first place Wingate University Bulldogs return to South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon, hosting the Eagles of Carson-Newman University at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. Wingate is 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the SAC. The 'Dogs have won eight straight games and are receiving votes in the NABC top 25 poll. Carson-Newman is 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the SAC. Free HD Video is available, along with live stats.

Wingate's eight-game winning streak has included two overtime wins and six victories of at least 12 points. It is the longest winning streak for the Bulldogs since a nine-game winning streak in the 2007-08 season. Wingate is outscoring its opponents by 12.2 points per game this season. The Bulldogs lead the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 35.7 percent shooting on the year.

The Bulldogs finished the 2013 calendar year with a 92-63 win over Barber-Scotia, getting a career-high 17 points from redshirt freshman forward Terrill Hilliard (Rocky Mount, N.C.). The winning streak start Nov. 20, when the 'Dogs opened SAC play with a 74-52 win over Catawba. Senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 18 points and 11 boards, while sophomore guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) added 16 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) poured in 35 points in a 98-86 victory at Tusculum, while freshman Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. Wingate moved to 3-0 in SAC play with a 73-59 win against Lenoir-Rhyne. Daye had 19 points and five assists, while junior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) added 12 points.

Wingate collected its fourth straight victory against Barton, prevailing 69-55. Turman piled up 14 points and 19 rebounds, while freshman Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) added 13 points. Daye poured in 32 points in Wingate's overtime win at Anderson, hitting two late threes in regulation to send it to overtime. He also hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds of overtime. Turman added 18 points and 13 boards. Cureton's career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds led the Bulldogs to an 80-63 win at Mars Hill. Dominguez added 16 points and 12 boards, while Turman had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman forward Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 11 points and 10 boards for the Bulldogs.  

Wingate registered a 90-89 overtime victory at Johnson C. Smith. Turman knocked down two free throws in the final seconds of regulation to tie it, while a triple from Daye put Wingate on top by one with under four seconds left in overtime. Daye led the way with 33 points, while Turman added a career-high 29 points to go along with 16 rebounds.

The Bulldogs and Eagles split the season series last year, with each team winning on the road. Carson-Newman won 63-52 at Cuddy Arena, getting 18 points and seven rebounds from SAC Player of the Year Antoine Davis. The 'Dogs shot just 37 percent from the field, going five-for-20 from three-point range (25 percent). Wingate responded with a 63-52 win at Carson-Newman one month later, getting 13 points and seven rebounds from Turman. Daye added 10 points, while Wingate held the Eagles to 34 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Daye leads the Bulldogs and ranks second in the SAC with 20.9 points per game. The preseason All-SAC selection has scored over 30 points in four of Wingate's nine contests this season. His 3.1 made three-pointers per game ranks fourth in the SAC, while ranking seventh in the league in three-point percentage (45.9 percent). Turman is second on the team with 13.4 points per game, leading the league and ranking 17th nationally with 10.4 rebounds per contest. Turman ranks 16th nationally with five double-doubles on the season.

Dominguez is averaging 9.9 points per game, shooting 49.2 percent from the field, while Griffin is contributing 9.8 points and a team-best 3.8 assists per game. He is seventh in the conference in assists and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio. Parker is averaging 8.3 points per game, shooting 50 percent from the field while ranking second in the SAC with 2.3 blocks per game. Cureton scores 8.1 points per contest, ranking sixth in the league with 1.8 steals per game and 14th with 6.6 boards per contest.

Davis is fifth in the SAC with 20.2 points per game, shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three-point range. Ishmael Sanders is averaging 16.4 points per game, leading the team with 25 steals while ranking second with 31 assists. Josh Rogers is contributing 8.6 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game for the Eagles.