Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs opened the 2014-15 season with a 59-55 victory over visiting Limestone College on day one of the 2014 OrthoCarolina Tip-Off Challenge in Cuddy Arena Friday night. The 'Dogs start the season 1-0, while the Saints fall to 0-1 overall.

Sophomore forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) had 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals to lead the Wingate attack. The reigning SAC Freshman of the Year hit six-of-12 shots from the field, knocking down a pair of shots from beyond the arc. Junior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) scored all 14 of his points in the second half, while senior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) had 12 points on five-of-eight shooting from the field. Sophomore center Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed eight points and nine boards for the Bulldogs, while sophomore Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had six points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Assad Woods had 19 points and six rebounds to lead the Limestone attack. Teron Wallace added 14 points, while Shaq Dance had 12 points and seven rebounds.

A 5-0 run gave the 'Dogs a 12-9 lead in the opening half, with Dominguez capping the spurt with a layup and a free throw with 10:45 left in the first half. An Avery Bomar layup cut the lead to one, but Wingate responded with a 6-0 run to push the advantage to seven. Cureton scored the final four points of the flurry that made it 18-11 with six minutes remaining. A Cureton triple pushed the lead to eight, but a dunk by Dance and three from Walter Cole cut the lead to two at the 2:52 mark. A Cureton layup and Daye triple sparked Wingate's 5-0 run to give the Bulldogs a 31-24 halftime lead.

Xavier Griffin came out in the second half and knocked down a jumper and a three to give the 'Dogs a 12-point lead. He added a three-point play to make it 39-26 with 16:50 to go in the second half. Wingate would then go over five minutes without a point, as Limestone cut the lead to three when a triple from Wallace made it 39-36 at the 11:40 mark. Cureton's three-point play stretched the lead to seven, while another Xavier Griffin layup made it 46-37 with 7:39 to go.

A Cole bucket cut the lead to seven, but Xavier Griffin answered with two free throws and a layup to make it 50-39 at the 5:52 mark. Daye knocked down a triple with just under five minutes remaining to give the 'Dogs a 14-point lead. Limestone scored the next nine points, cutting the lead to five when Woods knocked down a three with 2:40 to go, making it 55-50. Daye responded with a layup, while Dominguez answered two free throws from Woods with a pair of free throws of his own to make it 58-52 with 22 seconds left.

The Bulldogs shot 44.2 percent from the field, hitting five-of-20 shots from three-point range (25 percent). Limestone shot just 33.3 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-20 shots from beyond the arc (35 percent). The Saints held a slim 33-32 rebounding edge and a 9-6 advantage in second chance points. Wingate held a 30-16 advantage in points in the paint, while turning 18 Limestone turnovers into 17 points.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, hosting Belmont Abbey on day two of the OrthoCarolina Challenge in Cuddy Arena.