Box Score  

Hartsville, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs erased a 15-point first half deficit Wednesday night, but a 22-5 Coker run in the second half helped the Cobras register a 75-59 victory over the Bulldogs in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. Coker improves to 13-10 overall and 10-9 in the SAC. Wingate drops its third straight game, falling to 13-10 overall and 10-9 in the conference. The contest ends a span of three road games in five days for the Bulldogs.

Julian Nelson had a game-high 24 points to lead the Coker attack, going 10-of-18 from the field while adding five rebounds. Donte Samuels added 16 points off the bench, going seven-for-nine from the field. Larry Felder had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Cobras.

Senior center Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Wingate attack. Junior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) added 16 points for the Bulldogs, while freshmen Terrill Hilliard (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had eight points each.

Coker came out hot, taking a 19-4 lead seven minutes into the opening half. Nelson had nine points in the early flurry. The 'Dogs began chipping away, but the Cobras still led by 13 at the 6:46 mark. A layup and two free throws from Turman trimmed the lead to nine, while a 10-4 Wingate run made it a five-point game with 3:19 left in the half.

Jonathan Gardner pushed the lead back to 10 with a triple at the 1:35 mark, but a Turman layup and two Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) free throws cut the lead back to six. Turman's tip-in at the buzzer got the Bulldogs to within four at halftime, making the score 38-34 at intermission.

Wingate used a 7-0 run early in the second half, taking its first lead of the game at the 18 minute mark when a Turman layup made it 41-40. Coker answered with a 22-5 run to take its largest lead of the game at the midway point of the second half. Samuels had six points in the spurt, while Julian capped it with a three-point play to make it 62-46. Wingate would get no closer than 12 the rest of the way.

Coker shot 46.7 percent from the field, hitting four-of-20 shots from three-point range (20 percent). Wingate shot a season-low 31.7 percent from the field, hitting three-of-12 shots from beyond the arc (25 percent). This marked the third straight game the Bulldogs set a season low in field goal percentage. The Bulldogs held a 47-37 rebounding advantage, while Coker converted 18 Wingate turnovers into 18 points.

The Bulldogs return home Saturday, hosting 14th-ranked Lincoln Memorial at 4 p.m.