Brevard, N.C.----Wingate University senior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) scored a season-high 26 points Saturday afternoon, but the Brevard College Tornados closed the game with an 11-4 run to hang on for a 76-73 victory in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. The Tornados improve to 8-10 overall and 6-6 in the SAC, while Wingate falls to 10-8 overall and 7-5 in the conference.

Trevon Shaw led the Tornados with 24 points, going eight-of-15 from the field and six-for-six at the free throw line. Alex Moe added 12 points, while Darius Moose contributed 11 points and five rebounds. Miles Leathers had eight points and 11 boards for the Tornados.

Daye went eight-for-14 from the field, hitting five-of-nine shots from beyond the arc and five-of-six at the free throw line. Sophomore forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) added 12 points and 11 rebounds, while junior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed nine points and three assists. Freshman guard Bryan Rouse (Greensboro, N.C.) had seven points for the Bulldogs.

Brevard jumped out to a 9-1 lead four minutes into the opening half on a Stevie Williams layup, with Wingate not getting a field goal until a Rouse triple at the 14:23 mark. A Phil Wallace three-point play gave the Tornados a 14-6 lead a minute later, but a Rouse layup and Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) three-point play trimmed the lead to three. Leathers pushed the advantage back to eight with a layup at the 9:01 mark, but a Daye jumper and two Griffin free throws made it a two-point game. Moe knocked down a triple at the 1:22 mark to push the lead back to six, while a Shaw three with 19 seconds left gave Brevard a 36-29 halftime advantage.

Leathers knocked down a triple in the opening minute of the second half to give the Tornados a 10-point lead. Wingate answered with a 7-0 run, cutting the lead to three on a Daye triple. Shaw buried a three to push the lead back to seven at the 13:34 mark, but the 'Dogs scored the next six points, cutting the lead to one on back-to-back Cureton buckets. A Shaw layup made it 55-50, but a Griffin layup and two Lolar free throws cut the lead back to one with 8:42 to go.

Daye knocked down a three a minute later to give Wingate its first lead of the game, but a Leathers layup put Brevard back on top by three. Daye tied it with a three at the 6:23 mark, while another Daye triple put the Bulldogs on top 65-63 with 4:18 left. Daye followed with two free throws to give Wingate a four-point edge, but a Leathers free throw and Moose three tied it with1:45 remaining. Moe added a triple to give Brevard a three-point lead, but a Griffin layup cut the lead back to one with 56 seconds left. Moose answered with a layup to make it 74-71 with 19 seconds to go. Griffin again cut the lead to one with a layup, but two Wallace free throws put the Tornados ahead by three with 11 seconds left. A Griffin triple in the final seconds would not go, as Brevard held on for the 76-73 win.

Brevard shot 39.1 percent from the field, hitting eight-of-23 shots from three-point range (34.8 percent). Wingate shot 40 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-20 shots from beyond the arc (35 percent). The Bulldogs held a 43-36 rebounding advantage, while Brevard converted 14 Wingate turnovers into 15 points. The Tornados committed just five turnovers on the afternoon.

The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, traveling to Coker for an 8 p.m. start.