Men's Basketball | 2/27/2015 1:07:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs close out the regular season Saturday afternoon, hosting Brevard College at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs enter the contest 15-12 overall and 12-9 in the SAC. The Tornados 11-16 overall and 9-12 in the conference.

Both teams have plenty on the line Saturday. With a win, the Bulldogs would guarantee a home game in the opening round of next week's SAC Tournament. Brevard also needs a win on Saturday, trying to qualify for the conference tournament. The Tornados need a win and a Queens victory at Anderson to enter postseason play for the first time in four years.

After winning five of six to move into second place in the SAC standings, the Bulldogs have dropped a pair of tough road games to drop into a three-way tie for third place. Wingate, Queens and Carson-Newman are all 12-9 in conference play, one game behind Newberry (13-8) and one game ahead of Catawba (11-10).

The Bulldogs dropped a tough contest at fifth-ranked Lincoln Memorial last Saturday, falling 76-70 despite 17 points from Xavier Griffin. Ryan Daye added 14 points for the Bulldogs. The 'Dogs ran into a red-hot Newberry team Wednesday night, as the Wolves went 15-for-25 from three-point range in a 100-76 victory. Daye had 25 points, while sophomore Isiah Cureton added 21 points, eight boards and five assists.

Wingate and Brevard met last month, with the Tornados picking up a 76-73 home win. Trevon Shaw led the Brevard attack with 24 points, while Alex Moe added 12 points for the Tornados. Daye poured in 26 points for the Bulldogs, knocking down five-of-nine shots from three-point range. Cureton added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Wingate.

Daye leads the Bulldogs with 14.0 points per game, ranking 14th in the league. He has knocked down a team-best 51 triples on the year, shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range and 80.7 percent from the free throw line. Griffin is averaging 10.7 points per game, shooting 47.8 percent from the field. He ranks 11th in the SAC with 2.7 assists per contest. Griffin has scored at least 12 points in five of Wingate's last six games.

Cureton is contributing 9.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The reigning SAC Freshman of the Year eighth in the conference in steals and blocks, while ranking ninth in rebounding. Cureton is also second on the team with 63 assists on the year. Freshman Zeriq Lolar is averaging 7.8 points per game, ranking second on the team with 34 triples. He leads all Wingate guards with 90 rebounds on the year. Lolar has scored in double figures in six of Wingate's last seven games. Keith Griffin averages 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, ranking third in the SAC with 1.7 blocks per contest.

Wingate will celebrate Senior Day between the women's and men's game on Saturday. Daye is Wingate's lone senior. The preseason first team All-SAC selection has scored 1,215 points during his Bulldog career. Next up for Wingate will be the SAC Tournament. The Bulldogs will play in the quarterfinals Wednesday night, hosting a game if the 'Dogs are victorious Saturday. Several different scenarios would come into play with a loss on Saturday.