Men's Basketball | 1/8/2016 1:57:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----In the midst of a three-game home stand, the Wingate University Bulldogs will welcome Carson-Newman University to Cuddy Arena for a 4 p.m. tip Saturday afternoon. Wingate is 8-4 overall and 4-2 in the SAC, while the Eagles enter the weekend 7-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference. The contest will air on ESPN3, while live stats will also be available.

The Bulldogs enter the weekend coming off a 69-63 victory against Coker College Wednesday night. Wingate outscored the Cobras 34-13 in the first half and led by as many as 28 in the second half before Coker rallied late. Junior Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had 21 points and seven rebounds to lead the Bulldogs, going seven-of-10 from the field. Classmate Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) added 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks while also going seven-of-10 from the field, hitting four-of-five shots from three-point range. Junior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 13 points and nine boards for the Bulldogs.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak. Wingate suffered tough setbacks the previous week, falling 70-61 at home against Augusta after leading by 15 points in the first half. The 'Dogs allowed a bucket in the final minute of a tie game at Johnson C. Smith, falling 66-64 in Charlotte. After opening the season 6-1, the Bulldogs had lost three of four before notching the victory Wednesday night. In eight wins this year, the 'Dogs are shooting 49 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three-point range, averaging 82 points per game while holding opponents to 68.2 points on 36.9 percent shooting. In four losses, the 'Dogs are shooting 37.2 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from beyond the arc, scoring just 67.5 points per game while allowing 84.2 points on 49.8 percent shooting from the field and 43.2 percent from three-point range.

Wingate leads the SAC with 4.7 blocks per game, ranking second in the conference and 11th nationally in defensive rebounding. The 'Dogs are also second in the league in field goal percentage defense, while ranking third in scoring defense and rebounding margin. The defense will be tested by the Eagles Saturday. Carson-Newman enters the game ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (52.1 percent), trailing only Lincoln Memorial.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with Carson-Newman 33-22, but the Eagles have won the last four, sweeping the regular season series each of the last two years. Before this Carson-Newman spurt, the 'Dogs had won 14 in a row against Carson-Newman until a setback in the 2012-13 season. The Eagles won by 21 points in Tennessee last year, getting 17 points from Sawyer Williams. Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) led the Bulldogs with 12 points. Carson-Newman won 71-67 in Cuddy Arena last season, with Williams scoring 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) had 22 points to lead the Bulldogs.

Wingate's balanced attack has four players scoring over 10 points per game, led by Cureton's 15.8 points per contest. He also collects 5.7 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the conference with 1.4 blocks per game and sixth with 1.7 steals per contest. Freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) averages 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, ranking second on the team with 19 threes.

Junior Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) has knocked down a team-best 22 triples this year, shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc while averaging 10.8 points per game. Griffin contributes 10.7 points per contest, ranking sixth in the league with 3.4 assists per game. Dominguez is shooting 62.2 percent from the field this year, averaging 8.0 points per game, while Lolar has connected on 11 triples, scoring 7.7 points per contest.

Carson-Newman enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak. The Eagles opened the year 4-6, which included an 0-4 mark in league play but have since bounced back with wins over Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill and Tusculum. Charles Clark leads Carson-Newman and the SAC with 20.7 points per game, going 82-of-88 at the free throw line (93.2 percent). He has knocked down 35 triples on the year, shooting 44.3 percent from beyond the arc. Williams averages 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, shooting 61.6 percent from the field. Carson Brooks contributes 13.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest, while Josh Rogers averages 11.0 points and 7.4 boards per game, shooting 59.3 percent from the field.

The Bulldogs will wrap up their three-game home stand Monday night, hosting Tusculum at 7 p.m. Wingate will then go on the road for two straight, traveling to Coker on Wednesday and Anderson the following Saturday.