Men's Basketball | 2/5/2016 1:08:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----For the fourth time this season, the Wingate University Bulldogs will welcome a top-20 team to Cuddy Arena. Wingate will host fifth-ranked Lincoln Memorial University Saturday at 4 p.m. in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. Wingate enters the contest 15-5 overall and 11-3 in the SAC, while the Railsplitters are 19-2 overall and 15-0 in the conference. The game will air on ESPN3, while live stats will also be available.

Wingate had its eight-game winning streak snapped Wednesday night at Newberry. It also ended a nine-game conference winning streak for the Bulldogs. Wingate had five players in double figures Wednesday, led by Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) and Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) with 12 points each. Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) and Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) contributed 11 points apiece, while Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) added 10 points for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs lead the SAC in blocked shots and scoring defense, ranking second in field goal percentage defense and defensive rebounding. Wingate will be tested Saturday by LMU, who enters the contest ranked second nationally in scoring (95.3 points per game) and third in field goal percentage (51.5 percent). During the nine-game SAC winning streak, the 'Dogs faced two other teams in the top four nationally in field goal percentage, holding Carson-Newman (second) and Queens (fourth) well below their season averages, which are both over 50 percent. Carson-Newman shot just 38 percent, scoring a season-low 48 points while the Royals were held to 40 percent shooting.

Wingate and Lincoln Memorial met in December in Harrogate, with the Railsplitters rolling to a 103-57 victory. It is the only loss to a ranked team for the Bulldogs this year. The 'Dogs have wins over sixth-ranked Mount Olive, ninth-ranked Queens and No. 20 UNC Pembroke. LMU shot 58.5 percent from the field in the first meeting, while out-rebounding the Bulldogs 52-29. Gerel Simmons led the Railsplitters with 27 points, while Curtis McMillion added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Lincoln Memorial has won three consecutive regular season SAC titles and hosted the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament last year. LMU has won six straight against the Bulldogs. Wingate's last win came in the 2013 SAC Tournament championship game. The Bulldogs also defeated the Railsplitters in the 2012 SAC Tournament semifinals en route to a SAC title. Wingate's last regular season win over Lincoln Memorial came in January of 2010. LMU has won 12 straight regular season meetings in the series, with four of those games being decided by less than five points.

Wingate's balanced attack has six players scoring over seven points per game, led by Cureton's 15.8 points per contest. He shoots 49 percent from the field and 82 percent at the free throw line, leading the team in steals while ranking second in rebounds, assists and blocks. Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) contributes 11.5 points per contest, knocking down a team-best 42 triples while shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc.

Baez averages 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, ranking second on the team with 31 threes. Griffin scores 9.6 points per contest, leading the team with 3.1 assists per game. Lolar and Dominguez add 7.9 and 7.3 points per game, respectively, with Dominguez shooting 54 percent from the field. Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) leads the SAC with 1.8 blocks per contest, adding 6.3 points and a team-best 6.5 boards per game.

LMU is 15-0 in league play, riding a 22-game SAC winning streak and winning 43 of its last 44 conference games overall. The Railsplitters have three of the league's top 16 scorers, led by Simmons at 18.9 points per game. Luquon Choice adds 16.3 points per contest, while Jalen Steele scores 15.8 points per game. Choice leads the league with 3.2 threes per game, shooting 46 percent while Steele is fifth with three triples per contest, knocking down 43.7 percent of shots from beyond the arc. Simmons hits 2.1 threes per contest, while ranking second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (47.3 percent). Dorian Pinson contributes 9.6 points per game, ranking 4th in the league with 7.4 rebounds and sixth with 3.6 assists per game. Lincoln Memorial ranks second nationally in scoring offense, third in scoring margin, field goal percentage and three point percentage while ranking fifth in defensive rebounds.

Saturday's game starts a stretch of three games in five days for the Bulldogs. Wingate will host Mars Hill Monday night in a makeup game at 8 p.m., while traveling to Charlotte to face 13th-ranked Queens Wednesday at 8 p.m. That will be the Wingate's sixth contest against a top-20 team this season.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 15 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past nine years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 82 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 82 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 91 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.