Salisbury, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points in the second half, then held off a Catawba rally to prevail 59-58 in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night. The 'Dogs have now won four straight, moving to 11-4 overall and 7-2 in the SAC. Catawba falls to 7-8 overall and 5-4 in the conference.

Freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) had 13 points to lead the Wingate attack. Junior forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) added 11 points, while classmate Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) contributed eight points. Junior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) had five points, five rebounds and five blocks, while senior Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) and sophomore Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) collected four assists apiece.

Rakeen Brown had 12 points to lead the Catawba attack. Jerrin Morrison had 11 points, while Jameel Taylor contributed 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Wingate used a 14-2 run to take a 14-6 lead eight minutes into the opening half. Six different Bulldogs scored in the flurry, with Cureton contributing four points. A pair of Baez triples put the Bulldogs on top 22-11 at the 8:19 mark, but a layup and two free throws from Jeremy McLaughlin cut the lead to seven. Junior Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) answered with a triple, but a Taylor layup helped the Indians cut Wingate's halftime lead to seven at 29-22.

The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 9-2 run to go on top by 14. Dominguez had five points in the flurry. Catawba scored the next seven points, getting within seven at 38-31 with 12:58 to go. A Brown triple got the Indians within four, but sophomore Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) knocked down a pair of big threes to put Wingate on top 44-37 with 10 minutes remaining.

A Baez three gave the 'Dogs an eight-point edge, but a Ben Sealey triple and Taylor layup made it 50-48 at the 4:05 mark. Dominguez responded with a triple to push the lead to five, but Morrison connected on a triple with 42 seconds to go to make it a one-point game. The Bulldogs turned to their senior Xavier Griffin, who drove in for a layup with 15 seconds left to make it 56-53. Catawba then turned it over on the inbounds play, while two Cureton free throws made it 58-53 with 10 seconds remaining. Brown's layup made it a three-point game, but Xavier Griffin's free throw made it 59-55 with five seconds left. Brown knocked down a triple with one second left, but the 'Dogs inbounded the ball and locked their third conference road win of the season.

Wingate shot 44.9 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-24 shots from three-point range (29.2 percent). The 'Dogs were just eight-of-19 at the free throw line (42.1 percent). Catawba shot 37.1 percent from the field, knocking down seven-of-14 shots from beyond the arc (50 percent). The Indians held a 38-33 rebounding edge and a 13-5 advantage in second-chance points. Wingate converted 15 Catawba turnovers into 15 points, while outscoring the Indians 30-28 in the paint.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, traveling to Anderson for a 4 p.m. start. That will be followed by a three-game home stand, which begins next Wednesday against No. 13 Queens.