Men's Basketball | 1/15/2016 1:03:00 PM

Anderson, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs put a four-game winning streak on the line Saturday afternoon, traveling to Anderson for a 4 p.m. tip in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. The Bulldogs enter the weekend 11-4 overall and 7-2 in the SAC, while the Trojans are 5-10 overall and 3-6 in the conference.

Wingate's fourth consecutive victory came Wednesday night, hanging on for a 59-58 win at Catawba. 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 for the Bulldogs.

Wingate's four-game winning streak started with a 69-63 win over Coker last Wednesday. Wingate held the Cobras to 13 first-half points and led by as many as 28 in the second half.  Dominguez had 21 points and seven rebounds, going seven-of-10 from the field. Cureton added 20 points, 10 boards, four assists, four steals and four blocks, going seven-of-10 from the field and four-of-five from three-point range. Griffin contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.

Wingate held Carson-Newman to its lowest point total in nearly five years last Saturday, rolling to a 71-48 victory in Cuddy Arena. Junior Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) had 17 points, while Cureton added 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dominguez led five Bulldogs in double figures in Monday night's 94-86 win over Tusculum, going four-of-five from the field and 10-of-12 at the free throw line to score 19 points. Senior Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) added 18 points, six assists and five rebounds, hitting two-of-four shots from beyond the arc while going six-for-six at the free throw line. Cureton contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals, while sophomore Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had 12 points for the Bulldogs.

Wingate leads the SAC in field goal percentage defense and blocked shots, ranking second in the league and 12th nationally in defensive rebounds. The Bulldogs are also second in the conference in scoring defense and free throws attempted, ranking third in rebounding margin and total rebounding.

Four Bulldogs average at least 10.5 points per game on the season, led by Cureton's 14.8 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting from the field, 38.5 from three-point range and 83 percent at the free throw line. He also ranks sixth in the SAC in blocked shots and seventh in steals. Baez contributes 11.1 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game on the year, notching five double-doubles.

Doyle averages 11 points per contest, knocking down a team-best 29 triples while shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc. Xavier Griffin is scoring 10.7 points per game in his senior season, shooting 78 percent at the free throw line while handing out 3.6 assists per contest, good for sixth in the SAC. Dominguez is shooting 57.4 percent from the field this season, collecting 8.5 points per game. Keith Griffin averages 6.3 points and 5.6 boards per contest, ranking third in the league with 1.3 blocked shots per game.

The Bulldogs and Trojans split the season series last season, with each team winning on the road. Anderson won 76-73 in Cuddy Arena despite 15 points and six assists from Xavier Griffin. Keith Griffin's layup in the final seconds gave Wingate a 59-57 victory at Anderson, with sophomore Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) scoring a game-high 17 points for the Bulldogs. Wingate has won four of its last five against the Trojans, including a 75-70 overtime win in the 2013 SAC Tournament semifinals.

Anderson is coming off back-to-back road losses at Lenoir-Rhyne and Lincoln Memorial. Randall Shaw is seventh in the conference with 18.3 points per game, while Maurice Howard averages 12.1 points per contest. Rakish Taylor contributes 9.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest for the Trojans, leading the league in rebounds.

After Saturday, the Bulldogs return home for a three-game home stand. That begins Wednesday when Wingate hosts No. 13 Queens at 8 p.m. The 'Dogs host Mars Hill next Saturday, then wrap up the home stand the following Wednesday against Lenoir-Rhyne.