Box Score  
Hickory, N.C.----The Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears held on for a 58-56 victory over visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night. The Bears improve to 6-5 overall and 5-2 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference.

Will Perry led the Lenoir-Rhyne attack with 21 points, hitting four-of-six shots from three-point range while adding four rebounds. RJ McClure added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Allan Jones had 12 points and eight boards for the Bears.

Senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) piled up 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Wingate attack, notching his league-best seventh double-double of the season. Freshman forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) added 14 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) and freshman forward Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) contributed nine points each.

A jumper and three from Cureton gave the 'Dogs an early 9-4 lead in the opening half. The Bears responded, getting four free throws from Perry to take a 14-11 lead eight minutes into the contest. A triple and layup from Dominguez put the 'Dogs back on top by two, while a Cureton three made it 24-21 with 4:24 left in the half. A Perry layup in the final minute cut Wingate's halftime lead to one at 24-23.

A pair of free throws from Jones gave the Bears a 27-26 advantage early in the second half. Daye responded by knocking down a pair of triples to go along with a layup, giving the 'Dogs a 35-30 lead. Lenoir-Rhyne responded with a 10-2 run, taking a 48-42 advantage on a Jones layup with eight minutes to go. A triple from Perry pushed the LRU lead to seven at the 4:53 mark.

Turman knocked down a pair of free throws, while adding a layup to cut the lead to three. A Turman free throw, along with a free throw from senior forward Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) got Wingate to within one with1:15 remaining. Perry answered with a jumper on the other end to push the lead back to three. Turman knocked down two more free throws to make it a one-point game with 17 second left. McClure made one out of two free throws with 11 seconds left, giving Wingate the ball down by two. A three-point attempt from Daye in the final seconds was blocked by McClure, preserving the LRU victory.

Lenoir-Rhyne shot 39.6 percent from the field, including 52 percent shooting in the second half. The Bears went five-for-15 from three-point range (33.3 percent). Wingate shot 38.8 percent from the field, going five-for-20 from beyond the arc (25 percent). The Bulldogs held a 37-31 rebounding advantage, holding a 15-6 edge in second chance points.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, traveling to Lincoln Memorial for an 8 p.m. tip.