Men's Basketball | 1/16/2015 1:10:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----Coming off an impressive 65-60 victory at Queens University Wednesday night, the Wingate University Bulldogs return home Saturday afternoon to take on Tusculum College at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. Wingate enters the contest 8-7 overall and 5-4 in the SAC, tied for fourth in the league standings. Tusculum is 1-13 overall and 1-8 in conference play.

The Bulldogs started the season 7-1, which include a 4-0 mark in SAC play. All four conference wins came on the road, notching victories at Catawba, Tusculum, Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill. Wingate's first conference loss came at home against Anderson on Dec. 20. The 'Dogs would go on to lose six consecutive games, falling to 7-7 overall and 4-4 in the conference. Wingate is still looking for its first conference home win.

The Bulldogs struggled on both sides of the ball during the losing streak. After holding each of their first nine opponents to under 44 percent shooting from the field, the Bulldogs allowed the opposition to shoot better than 51 percent in five straight games. In the last five losses of the streak, opponents shot a combined 54.1 percent from the field and 39-for-62 from three-point range (62.9 percent). The Bulldogs shot under 40 percent in four of the last five losses, shooting under 30 percent twice.

Wingate improved on both ends Wednesday night, going on the road to snap an eight-game Queens winning streak. The 'Dogs shot 50 percent from the field, their third time shooting at least 50 percent from the field this year. Wingate held the Royals to 38.2 percent shooting. Queens was four-for-18 from beyond the arc (22.2 percent). The Bulldogs are 5-0 on the year when holding opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field. Keith Griffin and Xavier Griffin led the Wingate attack Wednesday night, scoring 16 points each, combining to go 10-for-14 from the field. Isiah Cureton added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs.

Wingate and Tusculum met earlier this season, with the Bulldogs prevailing 80-59. After leading by three at halftime, the 'Dogs outscored the Pioneers 46-28 in the second half. All five starters scored in double figures, led by Ryan Daye's 19 points. Cureton added 18 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, while Zeriq Lolar had 13 points, going three-for-four from three-point range. Xavier Griffin added 12 points and four assists, while Keith Griffin had 12 points and 10 boards. The Bulldogs have won eight straight against Tusculum, outscoring the Pioneers by 17 points per game during the span. Tusculum's last win in January of 2011.

Daye leads Wingate's balanced attack with 13.5 points per game, knocking down a team-best 28 triples on the season. Cureton is averaging 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, adding a team-high 20 steals. Xavier Griffin is contributing 9.7 points and 3.0 assists per game, while Keith Griffin averages 7.6 points and 6.1 boards per contest.  

Tusculum enters the contest on a nine-game losing streak. The lone victory of the season came at Brevard in November. Tusculum lost to Lenoir-Rhyne in double overtime last Saturday, while coming off a 17-point loss at No. 2 Lincoln Memorial Wednesday. Chase Mounce leads the Pioneers and ranks fifth in the SAC with 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while leading the league with 2.1 blocks per contest. Javon Price averages 14.6 points per game for the Pioneers, shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc while knocking down 41 triples this year, third most in the SAC.