Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs led for 36 minutes Tuesday night, holding off visiting Newberry College for an 89-86 victory in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the SAC, while the Wolves fall to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference.

Senior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) had 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead the Wingate attack. Junior guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 17 points on six-of-10 shooting, while sophomore guard Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 14 points, six assists and five rebounds. Freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) added 13 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore center Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) had eight points, four rebounds, two steals and a block.

"I feel very fortunate to hang on and get a win tonight," head coach Brian Good says. "It was a really competitive college basketball game. It took everything we had to get out of there with a win."

Xavier Holmes had 21 points and 12 boards to lead the Newberry attack, going nine-for-15 from the field. Mitch Riggs added 20 points and three assists, while James Ashby contributed 11 points and three boards. Ronell Crockett had 10 points and four rebounds, while Gerald Evans contributed four points, five rebounds and eight assists.

Wingate used a 10-2 run to take a 10-6 advantage five minutes into the opening half on a Griffin layup. A Lolar triple and two McCall free throws pushed the lead to seven, while a Doyle triple made it 24-16 at the 10:11 mark. A three from Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) put the 'Dogs on top by 10, but triples from Ashby and Mason Spease made it 30-27 with 6:13 to go.

James Stepp got the Wolves within two with a triple at the 5:37 mark, but a pair of threes from sophomore Bryan Rouse (Greensboro, N.C.) helped the Bulldogs take a 40-31 lead with 2:28 remaining. Riggs and Ashby knocked down triples in the final two minutes, cutting Wingate's halftime lead to three at 41-38.

A triple and a layup from Doyle pushed the lead to eight in the opening minute of the second half. Xavier Holmes cut the lead to three with a layup at the 16:10 mark, but a Lolar layup and Baez triple, followed by a Griffin three made it 61-53 with 13:43 remaining. A triple from Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) put the 'Dogs on top by nine at the 13-minute mark. A McCall layup and Lolar jumper put the 'Dogs on top by 11, but buckets from Riggs and Ashby trimmed the deficit to six with 5:30 remaining.

Griffin drained a pair of free throws to put the Bulldogs on top 80-72, but a 9-2 Newberry run made it a one-point game, with a Spease triple making it 82-81 with 2:30 to go. Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) slammed home an alley-oop from Lolar to make it a three-point game, but Holmes answered on the other end to make it 84-83. Two Baez free throws were answered by another Holmes layup with 46 seconds left. The Bulldogs responded by going back to Xavier Griffin, who delivered a huge three-point play to make it a four-point game with 20 seconds left. Riggs made one free throw on the other end, with Newberry grabbing the rebound. The Wolves had two chances to tie, but both attempts were offline, giving the Bulldogs the win.

Wingate shot 48.3 percent from the field, hitting 11-of-25 shots from three-point range (44 percent). Newberry shot 43 percent from the field, hitting 10-of-28 shots from beyond the arc (35.7 percent). The 'Dogs held a 45-43 rebounding advantage, while the Wolves outscored Wingate 40-30 in the paint.

The Bulldogs are back in action next Wednesday, traveling to Lincoln Memorial to take on the 15th-ranked Railsplitters at 8 p.m.