Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore guard Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) scored a career-high 30 points Wednesday night, leading the Bulldogs to a 97-82 victory over visiting Catawba College in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. Wingate wins its fifth straight, improving to 8-7 overall and 5-4 in the SAC. Catawba falls to 10-5 overall and 4-5 in the conference.

"It was a good win over a very good basketball team," head coach Brian Good says. "The final margin wasn't indicative of how tough of a win it was tonight. I thought we defended really well, but their pressure and 1-3-1 zone forced us into a lot of turnovers. Eventually, we took better care of the ball, got some good looks and made some big shots. I thought Mike was really efficient in his 30-point effort."

Baez went eight-for-11 from the field, hitting three-of-six shots from three-point range while also going 11-for-11 at the free throw line, adding six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Baez has 12 straight double-figure scoring games and four consecutive 20-point performances. Senior guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals while classmate Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had 12 points, six assists and five rebounds, while senior Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had nine points and four rebounds.

Jameel Taylor had 28 points to lead the Catawba attack, going 10-for-11 from three free throw line while adding six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jerrin Morrison added 6 points and five boards, going eight-for-12 at the free throw line while Malik Constantine and KJ Arrington contributed 10 points apiece.

Wingate jumped out to a 14-7 lead seven minutes into the opening half, with Baez scoring 11 of those points. A Cureton three stretched the lead to eight with a triple, while two Lolar free throws made it 21-12 at the midway point. A bucket from Arrington got the Indians within five, but a Dominguez jumper gave the 'Dogs a nine-point advantage with 6:46 remaining.

Arrington cut the lead back to five with a layup, but a layup and three from Baez made it 34-23 with 3:50 remaining. A jumper and three from Doyle gave Wingate a 15-point advantage at the 2:18 mark. Catawba ended the half on an 8-0 run, cutting the halftime deficit to seven on an Andrew Ingram layup in the final seconds.

A Taylor three-point play and Morrison layup got Catawba within three in the opening minutes of the second half, while an Arrington bucket at the 15:17 mark tied it at 48. A pair of Arrington free throws gave the Indians a 52-50 advantage, while Taylor's three-point play pushed the lead to three with 12:49 to go. Arrington gave Catawba its largest lead of the night with a pair of free throws, making it 61-56 at the 11:37 mark. Dominguez and Doyle responded with triples to give the lead back to the Bulldogs, but another Taylor bucket gave Catawba a 67-64 lead with 8:28 remaining.

Free throws from Cureton and Baez gave Wingate a one-point lead, while triples from Doyle and Cureton made it 74-67 with 6:14 remaining. A dunk from Malik Constantine at the 3:35 mark got the Indians within a point, but the Bulldogs scored the next 11 points, taking an 89-77 lead in the final minute. A Lolar bucket and Doyle three started the flurry, while buckets from Cureton and Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) pushed the advantage to 12. The lead remained in double figures the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs shot 48.3 percent from the field, hitting 11-of-27 shots from three-point range (40.7 percent). Catawba shot 36.5 percent from the field, hitting just one-of-12 shots from beyond the arc (8.3 percent). The physical contest saw the teams combine to take 68 free throws, with Wingate going 28-for-30 at the free throw line (93.3 percent). Catawba hit 27-of-38 free throws on the night (71.1 percent). The Bulldogs held a 45-42 rebounding advantage, with Catawba holding a 42-28 edge in points in the paint and 25-13 edge in second chance points.

Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting Anderson at 4 p.m.