Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs outscored the sixth-ranked University of Mount Olive Trojans 53-29 in the second half Tuesday night en route to an 84-68 victory in NCAA Division II men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 3-0 overall, while the Trojans fall to 2-1 on the year.

Junior forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) had 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks to lead the Wingate attack, going five-of-10 from the field and 13-for-14 at the free throw line. He had 17 points in the second half. Junior forward Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) added 16 points and six rebounds, going five-for-seven from the field. Sophomore guard Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had 11 points, three rebounds and three steals, while senior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.

"You hate to say big win this early in the season, but this was a good win," head coach Brian Good says. "They were not only a ranked team, but a very good, well-coached team. The bench stepped up when we needed it. Josh and Zeriq were really big. Isiah played a very complete game, stuffed the stat sheet and defended really well."

Dontrell Brite had 21 points to lead the Mount Olive attack, adding five rebounds while going eight-of-15 from the field. JaQuan Blount added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Jamaal Martin and Dominique Reed contributed eight points each for the Trojans.

A Brite triple and two Martin free throws gave Mount Olive an 18-12 lead six minutes into the opening half. Wingate scored the next seven points, taking a one-point lead on a Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) dunk.

A Blount triple stretched the lead back to six at the 8:40 mark, but layups from Cureton and Lolar cut the lead to one with five minutes to go. The Trojans scored the next seven points, taking a 37-29 lead with 2:38 remaining. A Dominguez bucket cut the lead to six, but a Blount layup gave Mount Olive a 39-31 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs came out of the break and went on a 12-2 run, taking a 43-42 lead just 3:20 into the half. Cureton had six points in the early spurt. A layup from Brite put the Trojans on top 45-43 with 15:42 to go. Wingate went on a 14-3 run to take a 65-54 advantage. Cureton had four points in the flurry, while a Griffin layup capped the spurt at the 7:59 mark.

A Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) bucket, followed by a bucket and free throw from Keith Griffin put Wingate on top by 15. A Cureton jumper and Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) three put Wingate on top 80-63 with 2:11 remaining. Two more Cureton free throws put the 'Dogs on top by 18 in the final 90 seconds.

Wingate shot 52.9 percent from the field, hitting four-of-11 shots from beyond the arc (36.4 percent). The Bulldogs hit 15-of-21 shots from the field in the second half (71.4 percent). Mount Olive shot 41.4 percent from the field, hitting six-of-21 shots from three-point range (28.6 percent). The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Trojans 39-26, outscoring Mount Olive 40-28 in the paint. Wingate converted 15 Mount Olive turnovers into 26 points, holding a 14-2 edge in fast-break points.