Men's Basketball | 2/13/2015 2:40:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs look for their fifth consecutive victory Saturday afternoon, hosting Carson-Newman University at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. Wingate has won four straight to improve to 14-9 overall and 11-6 in the SAC. The Bulldogs are tied for second in the league standings. Carson-Newman is 12-11 overall and 10-7 in the SAC.

Wingate's four-game winning streak started with a convincing 81-44 victory over Mars Hill on Jan. 31. Redshirt sophomore Terrill Hilliard led the way with 16 points on five-of-six shooting, adding five rebounds and two steals. Anthanee Doyle contributed 11 points on four-of-five shooting, while Xavier Griffin and Ryan Daye scored 10 points apiece for the Bulldogs, who shot 53.7 percent from the field while holding Mars Hill to 24.4 percent shooting.

Last Wednesday the Bulldogs held on for a 78-76 victory over Newberry College. Daye had 20 points and four assists to lead the Wingate attack, while Zeriq Lolar added 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Doyle chipped in with 10 points on three-of-four shooting, while Isiah Cureton had five points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.

Wingate went on the road last Saturday, prevailing 59-57 at Anderson to notch its 10th league win of the season. Lolar had a career-high 17 points, adding five rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes of action without a turnover, while Griffin had 14 points and Cureton contributed 12 points and seven boards. It was Keith Griffin scoring the game-winning bucket on a layup, getting the assist from Doyle with just over two seconds remaining in regulation.

The 'Dogs claimed another tight victory Wednesday night, getting a Keith Griffin putback with 10 seconds left to defeat Queens 75-74, sweeping the regular season series over the Royals, who are tied for second in the league standings with Wingate. Xavier Griffin had 17 points to lead the 'Dogs, going eight-for-eight at the free throw line while Lolar added 11 points and nine boards.

Wingate and Carson-Newman met in the first week of January, with the Eagles rolling to a an 81-60 home victory. Sawyer Williams led four Carson-Newman players in double figures with 17 points, while Jared Johnson added 15 points. Daye led the Wingate attack with 17 points, while Lolar contributed 12 points. Wingate shot just 27 percent from the field, while the Eagles shot 54 percent from the field.

Daye leads the Bulldogs with 13.5 points per game, knocking down a team-best 43 triples while shooting 38.4 percent from three-point range and 80 percent at the free throw line. Cureton contributes 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. The reigning SAC Freshman of the Year ranks sixth in the conference in blocks, eighth in steals and ninth in rebounding.

Xavier Griffin averages 10.2 points per contest, ranking eighth in the league with 3.0 assists per game while shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc. Lolar contributes 7.4 points per game, ranking second on the team with 29 triples while shooting 37.7 percent from long range. Keith Griffin averages 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest, ranking 11th in the league in rebounding. The sophomore is fourth in the conference with 1.6 blocks per game.

Carson-Newman had its five-game winning streak snapped Wednesday night with a 63-60 loss to Brevard. That winning streak included an 87-72 victory at No. 1 Lincoln Memorial the previous Wednesday. Brooks leads the Eagles with 15.7 points per game, shooting 57.8 percent from the field while adding 6.4 rebounds per game. Johnson contributes 12.5 points per game, shooting 39 percent from three-point range while Williams and Charles Clark are each contributing 10.7 points per contest.