Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs led by as many as 16 points Wednesday night, then held off a late Newberry rally for a key 78-76 victory in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 12-9 overall and 9-6 in the SAC, sitting alone in third place in the league standings. Newberry falls to 14-7 overall and 8-7 in the conference.

Senior guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) led the Wingate attack with 20 points, knocking down four-of-seven shots from beyond the arc while adding four assists. Freshman guard Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) added career highs of 15 points and seven rebounds, knocking down four-of-six shots from three-point range while adding three assists, three steals and two blocks. Sophomore guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 10 points on three-of-four shooting. Junior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed eight points and three assists, while sophomore forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) had five points, seven rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocks.

Mitch Riggs had 22 points to lead the Newberry attack, hitting four-of-seven shots from beyond the arc. James Stepp had 14 points and six rebounds, going four-for-six from three-point range. Demarkus Smith contributed 10 points, while James Ashby had nine points for the Wolves.

Wingate jumped out to a 12-6 lead with Daye scoring nine quick points on three-of-three shooting from beyond the arc. A Daye layup and Cureton dunk pushed the lead to nine at the midway point of the half. An Ashby jumper cut the lead to seven, but Wingate answered with an 11-2 run. Lolar buried a triple in the spurt, while a three-point play from freshman forward Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) capped it at the 7:56 mark, making it 34-18.

Newberry trimmed the lead to nine on a Xavier Hill jumper with 5:17 to go, but a Terrill Hilliard (Rocky Mount, N.C.) layup made it 40-29. Ashby trimmed the lead to seven with a layup, but another Lolar triple pushed the lead back to 10 with 1:17 left. Stepp knocked down a three at the buzzer to cut the Wingate advantage to 48-40 at halftime.

A pair of Griffin layups put the 'Dogs on top by 13 four minutes into the second half. Newberry answered with a 10-1 run, cutting the lead to four on a Riggs triple at the 13:55 mark. A McCall dunk and Bryan Rouse (Greensboro, N.C.) jumper pushed the lead back to seven, while a Doyle triple made it 68-59 with 7:46 to go. The Wolves again had the answer, cutting the lead to four on a Stepp layup with 4:39 remaining.

The Bulldogs pushed the advantage back to eight on a Daye jumper and Griffin layup with 2:32 left. Newberry had the emphatic response, getting layups from Smith and Holmes, along with a Riggs triple to make it a one-point game with 55 seconds remaining. The Wolves had a chance to take the lead, but Riggs missed a jumper and Griffin ran down the rebound. After a missed free throw, Newberry got the ball back with two seconds left. Cureton stole the inbounds pass and knocked down a free throw to make it 78-76.

Wingate shot 50 percent from the field, hitting 10-of-24 shots from beyond the arc (41.7 percent). Newberry shot 42.9 percent from the field, hitting 10-of-29 shots from three-point range (34.5 percent). The Wolves held a 37-35 rebounding edge, while Wingate outscored Newberry in the paint 40-26. The 'Dogs assisted on a season-high 18 assists (on 30 made field goals).

Wingate is back in action Saturday, traveling to Anderson for a 4 p.m. start.