Men's Basketball | 2/19/2016 2:17:00 PM

Jefferson City, Tenn.----The Wingate University Bulldogs wrap up the 2015-16 road schedule Saturday afternoon, traveling to Carson-Newman for a 4 p.m. tip in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. The third-place Bulldogs are 18-7 overall and 14-5 in the SAC. The Eagles enter the weekend at 14-11 overall and 10-9 in the conference.

Wingate is alone in third place in the SAC standings with three games remaining. The 'Dogs will wrap up the regular season with a pair of home games next week. Fourth-ranked Lincoln Memorial sits atop the league standings with a perfect 19-0 mark in SAC play. Seventh-ranked Queens is second at 17-2, followed by the 14-5 Bulldogs. Lenoir-Rhyne is two games behind Wingate at 12-7 in conference play, while Carson-Newman and Newberry are tied for fifth in the SAC at 10-9. LMU and Queens are the top two teams in the NCAA Southeast Region poll, while Wingate is fourth and Lenoir-Rhyne is seventh.

The Bulldogs are coming off a gritty 58-55 win at Coker Wednesday night, giving Wingate its second straight win and third victory in its last four games. Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) and Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with 14 points each on Wednesday, while Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) added 12 points.

Wingate and Carson-Newman met in early January, with the Bulldogs rolling to a 71-48 victory in Cuddy Arena. The 'Dogs held the Eagles to their lowest point total and second-lowest field goal percentage (38 percent) of the season, while holding Carson-Newman without a three-pointer for the only time this season. Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) had 17 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Cureton added 11 points, two assists, two steals and a block. Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs lead the SAC and rank eighth nationally in blocked shots, while also leading the conference in scoring defense. Wingate is second in the league in field goal percentage defense and defensive rebounding, while ranking third in rebounding margin and total rebounds. Carson-Newman ranks second nationally in field goal percentage (52.4 percent). The Eagles have only shot below 40 percent twice this season, including the January matchup in Cuddy Arena. Carson-Newman has only knocked down less than five triples three times this season, hitting four at Catawba and three at Anderson while going 0-for-12 at Wingate.

The Bulldogs feature a balanced attack with seven players scoring over six points per game, led by Cureton's 14.3 points per contest. He shoots 48.7 percent from the field and 81.8 percent at the free throw line, while leading the team in steals and ranking second in blocked shots and rebounding and third in assists. Baez contributes 11.9 points per contest, adding 5.9 boards per game while knocking down 41 triples on the season, good for second on the team.

Doyle leads the 'Dogs with 50 threes this year, averaging 10.5 points per game. Griffin contributes 9.1 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per contest, while Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) is scoring 8.2 points per game, ranking third on the team with 31 threes. Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) shoots 53.5 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from three-point range, averaging 7.4 points per game. Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) averages 6.1 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game, leading the SAC with 1.7 blocked shots per contest.

Carson-Newman enters the contest on a two-game losing streak, suffering a 108-100 overtime setback at Tusculum Wednesday night. The Eagles are led by Charles Clark, who averages a league-best 22.4 points per game, knocking down 61 threes on the season while shooting 40.9 percent. He has scored in double figures every game this season, but had a season-low 10 points at Wingate, going two-of-11 from the field. Clark had 33 points in Wednesday's OT loss. Sawyer Williams averages 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, shooting 61.9 percent from the field while Carson Brooks shoots 56.1 percent from the field, averaging 11.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.

After Saturday, the Bulldogs return home for their final two regular season games. Wingate will host Catawba Wednesday night at 8 p.m. The 'Dogs wrap up the regular season next Saturday, hosting Anderson on Senior Day at 4 p.m. Wingate has locked up a home game in the opening round of the SAC Tournament. That contest will take place Wednesday, March 2.