Mars Hill, N.C.----The Belmont Abbey College Crusaders knocked down 13 threes Saturday night, erasing an 11-point second half deficit en route to an 80-77 victory in NCAA Division II men's basketball action. The Crusaders improve to 1-1 on the year, while Wingate falls to 1-1 overall.
Deion Lane had 19 points and five rebounds to lead the Belmont Abbey attack.
Gunnar Hardarson added 18 points, hitting six-of-10 shots from three-point range.
Jacob Wilson and
Aidan Richard contributed 10 points apiece for the Crusaders, with Wilson adding eight rebounds and seven assists.
Junior guard
Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) poured in a career-high 28 points to lead the Wingate attack, going 11-of-18 from the field and four-for-eight from three-point range while adding five assists. Senior forward
Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had a career-high 23 points, knocking down four triples while adding three rebounds and three assists. Senior center
Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) had 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots, while senior guard
Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) contributed eight points, seven rebounds and three assists. Senior forward
Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) compiled six points, seven rebounds, five blocks and four assists.
Buckets from Dominguez and Griffin helped the Bulldogs race out to a 12-3 lead five minutes into the opening half. Wingate went six minutes without scoring, allowing Belmont Abbey to cut the lead to five. The Bulldogs took a 22-11 lead on Cureton's jumper at the 6:18 mark, but Richard's three-point play got Belmont Abbey within six with four minutes left in the half. Two free throws from Lolar pushed the lead back to 10, but the Crusaders ended the half on an 11-4 run, cutting Wingate's halftime lead to three thanks to a Hardarson triple in the final minute.
Lolar and Dominguez each knocked down two triples in the first three minutes of the second half, helping the Bulldogs take a 48-37 lead. The Crusaders responded by knocking down three consecutive threes, cutting the lead to two on a Lane triple with 14:50 left in the second half. Layups from Doyle and Griffin helped Wingate push the lead back to nine, but three more Hardarson triples got Belmont Abbey within four at 59-55 with 10:39 to go. A Richard layup a minute later got the Crusaders within two.
A Dominguez three at the 8:47 mark put the 'Dogs on top by five, but a
Ben Ferguson three and Lane layup tied it at 64. Lolar answered with a three to put Wingate back on top, while a Dominguez triple put the 'Dogs up by six with six minutes left. Ferguson answered with back-to-back triples, tying it at 72 at the 4:18 mark. Lane put Belmont Abbey on top with a layup, but two Cureton free throws tied it at 74 with 2:31 remaining.
Wilson gave the Crusaders a two-point lead with two free throws, while a Wilson layup with 55 seconds left made it 78-74. Lolar got the Bulldogs within one by knocking down a triple with 41 second left, but Wilson knocked down two more free throws with four seconds remaining. Dominguez had a chance to tie it with a triple, but his desperation attempt was no good.
Belmont Abbey shot 45.2 percent from the field, hitting 13-of-31 shots from three-point range (41.9 percent). The Bulldogs shot 43.5 percent from the field, knocking down eight-of-24 shots from beyond the arc (33.3 percent). Wingate held a 40-36 rebounding advantage, while the Bulldogs held a 14-12 edge in second chance points.
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, traveling to UNC Pembroke for a 7 p.m. tip.
