Wingate, N.C.----the Wingate University Bulldogs won their second game in as many days Saturday night, prevailing 66-50 over visiting Belmont Abbey College on day two of the 2014 OrthoCarolina Classic in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Crusaders fall to 0-2.

Reigning SAC Freshman of the Year Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) had 14 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two assists to lead the Wingate attack. Junior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) added 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, while freshman guard Bryan Rouse (Greensboro, N.C.) contributed 11 points and four boards. Sophomore center Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) had nine points, four rebounds and two blocks, while freshman forward Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) had seven points and 12 rebounds off the Wingate bench.

Markel Pollard had 15 points and six rebounds to lead the Belmont Abbey attack. Drexler Clark had 12 points, five assists and four steals, while Tyler Horn had 10 points and five rebounds.

Clark's fast-break layup gave the Crusaders a 10-4 lead six minutes into the opening half. Wingate answered with an 11-0 run to take a five-point lead. A Rouse three got the 'Dogs within one, while a Keith Griffin dunk put Wingate on top. Xavier Griffin capped the spurt with a layup at the 8:44 mark, making it 15-10. A Horn jumper and Clark layup cut the lead to one with five minutes left in the half, while a Pollard jumper at the 3:30 mark put the Crusaders ahead 22-20. Wingate scored the last five points of the half, taking a 25-22 lead into intermission thanks to a Xavier Griffin layup with just over a minute left.

The Bulldogs used an 8-0 run early in the second half to push the lead back into double figures. Cureton started the flurry with a layup, while Xavier Griffin capped it with a fast break layup. A pair of Clark free throws trimmed the lead to nine with 13:12 remaining, but three Xavier Griffin free throws made it 41-29 with 11 minutes to go.

A triple from sophomore Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.), along with a Rouse layup put Wingate on top by 16 with 7:15 remaining. A pair of Pollard triples helped the Crusaders trim the lead to nine at the 5:35 mark. A Driving layup from sophomore Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) made it 56-43, while an offensive rebound and layup from McCall made it 58-43. Doyle knocked down a triple at the 2:46 mark to push the advantage to 16. Belmont Abbey would get no closer than 15 the rest of the way.

Wingate shot 34.5 percent from the field, hitting three-of-18 shots from three-point range (16.7 percent). BAC shot 43.2 percent from the field, going five-for-16 from beyond the arc (31.3 percent). Wingate knocked down 23-of-33 free throws on the night, outscoring the Crusaders by 16 at the line. The 'Dogs also turned 20 Belmont Abbey turnovers into 16 points. Wingate out-rebounded the Crusaders 43-28, while holding an impressive 26-2 edge in second-chance points.

Wingate is back in action Wednesday, traveling to Catawba to open conference play at 8 p.m.