Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs dropped a tough 71-67 contest against visiting Carson-Newman University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Cuddy arena. The Eagles improve to 13-11 overall and 11-7 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 14-10 overall and 11-7 in the conference. Wingate, Carson-Newman and Queens are now in a three-way tie for second place in the SAC standings.

Sawyer Williams had 22 points to lead the Carson-Newman attack, going 10-for-14 from the field while adding six rebounds. Charles Clark added 16 points, going seven-for-nine at the free throw line while Carson Brooks had 12 points and nine boards.

Junior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) had a career-high 22 points to lead the Wingate attack, going seven-for-10 from the field and eight-for-nine at the free throw line while adding a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 13 points, going three-for-five from beyond the arc. Sophomore center Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) had seven points, four rebounds, four blocks and three assists, while freshman forward Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) pulled down 11 rebounds.

A three-point play from Williams gave Carson-Newman an 8-2 lead in the opening minutes of the first half. Wingate used a 9-2 run to take a 15-12 lead on back-to-back buckets from Herbert Harrison (Marietta, Ga.) at the 11:48 mark. Triples from Doyle and sophomore Dustin Dodd (Concord, N.C.) gave the Bulldogs a 25-16 lead with seven minutes to go. The Eagles countered with a 14-3 run, taking a two-point lead on a pair of Clark free throws at the 3:48 mark. Williams added a pair of buckets to give Carson-Newman a 36-30 lead. Xavier Griffin knocked down a free throw in the final seconds to trim the halftime deficit to five.

A McCall three-point play and Xavier Griffin jumper cut the lead to two less than three minutes into the second half. Carson-Newman would use an 8-0 run to push the lead to double figures, with Williams getting two buckets in the spurt that made it 51-40 at the 12:58 mark. A Keith Griffin bucket trimmed the lead to seven, while a Doyle triple and Dodd bucket got Wingate within five at 56-51. A layup from sophomore forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) trimmed the deficit to three with 6:46 to go.

Carson-Newman scored the next six points, taking a 62-53 lead on a pair of Clark free throws. A Jay Lane jumper pushed the lead back to 10 with four minutes remaining. A pair of Cureton free throws, along with two Xavier Griffin layups cut the lead back to four with 2:32 left. Two Clark free throws pushed the lead back to six, but Xavier Griffin responded with free throws to cut it back to four with 1:17 to go. Wingate got the ball back, but a pair of missed free throws gave it back to the Eagles with 50 seconds left. A Clark jumper with 21 seconds left gave Carson-Newman a six-point lead, but Xavier Griffin answered with a three-point play to make it 68-65 with 15 seconds left. A Clark free throw put the Eagles up by four with just six seconds left, while Josh Rogers answered another Xavier Griffin layup with two free throws in the final second to make it 71-67.

Carson-Newman shot 49.1 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent shooting in the second half (12-for-21). The Eagles were just one-for-eight from three-point range (12.5 percent) but knocked down 18-of-23 free throws (78.3 percent). Wingate shot 44.9 percent from the field, hitting five-of-16 shots from beyond the arc (31.3 percent). The Eagles held a 32-28 rebounding advantage, outscoring Wingate in the paint 46-28 and holding a 21-5 edge in second chance points.

The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, wrapping up a three-game home stand against Coker at 8 p.m.