Men's Basketball | 2/26/2016 10:56:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs will wrap up the regular season Saturday afternoon, hosting Anderson University at 4 p.m. in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate enters the weekend 19-8 overall and 15-6 in the SAC. The Trojans are 7-20 overall and 5-16 in the conference. Saturday's game will air on ESPN3, while live stats will also be available.

The Bulldogs are alone in third place in the SAC standings entering the final day of the regular season. Third-ranked Lincoln Memorial is in first place at 21-0, while No. 12 Queens is 17-4. Wingate is two games up on fourth-place Lenoir-Rhyne (13-8). The Bulldogs are ranked fourth in the NCAA Southeast Region poll, behind LMU, Queens and King.

Wingate is looking to bounce back from a 78-62 loss at home against Catawba Wednesday night. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak. Freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) had 20 points to lead the Bulldogs, while junior Isiah Cureton added nine points and nine rebounds.

Wingate and Anderson met in mid-January, with the Bulldogs picking up a 73-62 road win. Junior guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) had 18 points, hitting four-of-eight shots from three-point range. Cureton added 13 points and five boards, while senior Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed 12 points.

The Bulldogs lead the SAC and rank ninth nationally in blocked shots, while also leading the league in scoring defense. Wingate is second in the conference in field goal percentage defense, rebounding margin and defensive rebounding. Offensively the Bulldogs are averaging 75.9 points per game, the most Wingate has averaged since scoring 76.6 points per contest during the 2009-10 season.

Wingate's balanced attack has eight players averaging at least five points per game, led by Cureton's 14.2 points per contest. He shoots 47.5 percent from the field and 81.5 percent at the free throw line, leading the team in steals while ranking second in rebounding and blocked shots. Baez contributes 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, ranking second on the team with 48 threes. Doyle has knocked down a team-best 52 triples, averaging 10.1 points per contest.

Xavier Griffin contributes 8.9 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per game. Sophomore Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) averages 7.7 points per contest, connecting on 32 shots from beyond the arc. Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) shoots 52.8 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from three-point range, contributing 7.1 points per game. Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) averages 6.1 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game, leading the conference with 1.7 blocked shots per game.

Anderson has lost 12 of its last 14 entering Saturday's contest. The Trojans are coming off an 87-71 loss against LMU Wednesday night. Randall Shaw leads Anderson and ranks fifth in the SAC with 19.8 points per game. The freshman has knocked down 64 threes on the season. Maurice Howard contributes 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Wingate has locked up an opening-round home game in next week's SAC Tournament. That contest will take place Wednesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. Wingate is the only SAC school that will be hosting a men's and women's game in the opening round.