Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs knocked off their third top-20 team of the season Wednesday night, hanging on for a 71-70 victory over ninth-ranked Queens University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate wins its sixth straight game, improving to 13-4 overall and 9-2 in the SAC, notching a seventh consecutive conference win to move into second place in the league standings. Queens falls to 14-2 overall and 8-2 in the conference.

"Any time you're playing an important game like tonight, getting off to a great start is important, and that's what we were able to do." head coach Brian Good says. "I thought we made them work hard in the half court to get good shots and we defended the post well."

The Bulldogs are 3-0 against top-20 teams in Cuddy Arena this season. Wingate knocked off sixth-ranked Mount Olive 86-68 in November, while adding a 66-54 victory over 19th-ranked UNC Pembroke in December. The loss is only the second of the season for the Royals, with the other coming at first-place Lincoln Memorial, currently ranked 12th in the NABC top 25.

Freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) had 16 points off the bench to lead the Bulldogs, adding six rebounds, two assists and a block. Junior guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) had 14 points and two steals, hitting four-of-seven shots from three-point range, while classmate Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 13 points and five boards. Sophomore Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had eight points and three assists, while junior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) collected four points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and two steals for the Bulldogs.

Rob Lewis had 19 points to lead the Royals, adding five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Daniel Camps added 12 points, while Todd Withers contributed 10 points and four rebounds. Marquis Rankin had nine points, four rebounds and four assists, while Sean Morgan had nine points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Wingate came out hot, racing out to a 13-point lead in the opening six minutes. Doyle had 11 points in the opening run, knocking down three triples to give the 'Dogs a 19-6 advantage. A Lewis three trimmed the lead to 10, but a tip-in and triple from Baez gave Wingate a 26-10 lead. Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) added a layup to give the Bulldogs an 18-point lead at the 11:34 mark.

Queens answered with a 12-0 run to get within six. Morgan started the flurry with a layup and two free throws, while a Daniel Camps dunk made it 28-22 with 8:32 remaining in the half. Two Baez free throws pushed the lead back to eight, but a Jones three made it 30-25. Keith Griffin answered with a layup and free throw, but a Lewis jumper trimmed the deficit to four. Free throws from Keith Griffin, Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) and Neico Robinson (Easley, S.C.) made it 41-31 in the final seconds. Jones knocked down a three at the buzzer to cut the halftime deficit to seven at 41-34.

Layups from Baez and Xavier Griffin pushed the lead back to double figures three minutes into the second half. A Layup and two free throws from Lewis got the Royals within five, but a 6-0 Wingate run pushed the advantage to 11 at the 11:58 mark. Cureton had four points in the flurry. Lolar and Baez knocked down triples to give the Bulldogs a 63-50 lead with 8:56 to go. Queens responded with a 9-2 run, making it a six-point game on a Rankin triple with 6:30 remaining.

Doyle knocked down a big three with 5:17 remaining. Camps answered with a three-point play, but Cureton responded with a triple to make it 71-62 at the 3:53 mark. Queens chipped in to the lead, getting free throws from Rankin, Camps and Lewis to get within four. A Lewis layup made it 71-69 with 1:12 remaining. The Royals had a chance to tie it with 24 seconds left, but Withers missed two free throws. Keith Griffin missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Queens another chance. Rankin hit one of two free throws to make it a one-point game with 15 seconds left. Wingate turned it over, giving the Royals one last chance, but Lewis turned it over in the final seconds, giving the 'Dogs the win.

The Bulldogs shot 47.2 percent from the field, hitting 11-of-22 shots from three-point range (50 percent). Queens shot 40 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-18 shots from beyond the arc (38.9 percent). The 'Dogs held a 40-36 rebounding advantage, holding a 35-11 edge in bench points. Queens converted a season-high 21 Wingate turnovers into 22 points, while the 'Dogs converted 17 Queens turnovers into 16 points.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, hosting Mars Hill at 4 p.m. Wingate wraps up the three-game home stand next Wednesday against Lenoir-Rhyne at 8 p.m.