Durham, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore running back Lawrence Pittman (Charlotte, N.C.) rushed for a career-high 147 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns, helping the Bulldogs take a 30-16 NCAA Division II football victory over Shaw University Saturday night at Durham County Memorial Stadium (NCAA box score).
 
Wingate improves to 2-0 overall following the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the SU Bears. Shaw is 0-2 overall. Wingate opens the home portion of its 2015 schedule Saturday, hosting Brevard College for a 1:30 p.m. South Atlantic Conference game. Shaw visits UNC Pembroke the same day at 7 p.m.
 
"We had great execution in the first half," Wingate head coach Joe Reich says. "We were out of sync in the second half…we never got into an offensive rhythm after halftime. We need to finish better."
 
The Bulldogs led 30-0 early in the fourth quarter before the Bears scored a safety and two touchdowns in the final six-plus minutes of the contest. Wingate junior wide receiver Jordan Berry (Irmo, S.C.) registered his fifth 100-yard receiving game, catching eight passes for 113 yards and one score. Bulldog redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Johnson (Hickory, N.C.) completed 17-of-30 passes for 193 yards and one TD.
 
Wingate's first possession featured the longest drive for either team Saturday. The Bulldogs moved the ball 98 yards on 12 plays, consuming 4:50 from the game clock. Pittman carried the ball six times on the drive, including his nine-yard, drive-finishing touchdown run. Bulldog junior place kicker Caleb Baird (Kinston, N.C.) nailed the first of his four PATs to make the score 7-0 visitors with 6:33 left in the first quarter.
 
A 23-yard SU punt gave Wingate great field position (WU 44) late in the opening frame. On the first play of the second quarter, Kyle Johnson did the honors with his second rushing TD in as many weeks. Johnson scored from five yards out, concluding a four-play, 56-yard drive. Baird's extra point gave the Bulldogs a two-touchdown lead at the 14:53 mark of the second stanza.
 
Shaw turned the ball over on downs, setting the stage for Pittman's second TD run. The Mallard Creek High graduate had three rushes on the drive, which covered 57 yards on seven plays. Pittman's four-yard scoring run gave the visitors a 21-0 lead after Baird's PAT with exactly eight minutes left in the second quarter.
 
A Johnson-to-Berry touchdown connection concluded the first half scoring. The Bulldogs had a short field, as freshman wide receiver Malik Bledsoe (Culloden, Ga.) made a big special teams play by recovering a fumble by the Shaw punter. Bledsoe returned the ball 10 yards to the Shaw 10-yard line. Three plays later, Berry found pay dirt after a two-yard scoring strike from Johnson at the 1:48 mark.
 
The two teams traded fourth quarter safeties before the Bears found their offensive groove late in the contest. Shaw senior quarterback Quenton Rucker (Atlanta, Ga.) connected with sophomore wide receiver Trevante Long (Charlotte, N.C.) on an 82-yard touchdown pass for the Bears' first offensive TD of the season. Shaw specialist Danny Webster, Jr. (New Bern, N.C.) added the PAT to make the score 30-9 Wingate with 5:08 left in regulation.
 
Rucker finished a quick six-play drive with a 21-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Artravius James (College Park, Ga.) at the 1:49 mark. Webster booted the extra point to conclude the night's scoring.
 
Wingate senior defensive back and team captain Nortavius Otis (Gastonia, N.C.) had eight tackles with six solo stops to lead the Bulldogs. Wingate redshirt senior defensive end Dillon Tucker (Denver, N.C.) was one of three WU players to record four tackles. Tucker filled out his statistical ledger with a fumble recovery and a shared quarterback sack.