Men's Basketball | 1/13/2017 1:59:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs put their five-game winning streak on the line Saturday afternoon, hosting Anderson University at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena on ESPN3. Wingate enters the weekend at 8-7 overall and 5-4 in the SAC, while the Trojans are 7-8 overall and 5-4 in the conference.

"Anderson is as much-improved as anyone," head coach Brian Good says. "They are well-coached as they execute well on offense and defense. Randall Shaw is a handful. He's capable of putting up big numbers, but we will have to do a good job on others as well."

Wingate's fifth consecutive victory came Wednesday night, a 97-82 victory over Catawba. Sophomore guard Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) scored a career-high 30 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field and 11-of-11 shooting at the free throw line. Senior guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 18 points, knocking down five triples while senior Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The winning streak started with a 78-56 win over Brevard before Christmas, getting 18 points and six rebounds from senior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.). Senior Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) added 13 points and five boards while Baez contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Wingate led wire-to-wire at Mount Olive on New Year's Eve, leading by as many as 31 en route to an 84-61 win. Baez had 21 points and five assists, while freshman Jeremy Williams (Monroe, N.C.) added a career-high 13 points. The 'Dogs prevailed 99-84 at Coker, leading by as many as 24. Wingate got 22 points and 10 rebounds from Cureton, while Dominguez and Baez added 21 and 20 points, respectively. It marked the second time this season the Bulldogs have had three players score at least 20 points in a game.  

Four of Wingate's victories in the current five-game winning streak have come by a total of 75 points, with the lone single-digit win coming last Saturday, a 79-77 victory at Carson-Newman. Wingate's fourth straight win over the Eagles, Baez had 21 points and six rebounds, going seven-of-11 from the field. Griffin added 16 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, while Dominguez contributed 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Wingate and Anderson met twice last season, with the Bulldogs winning both meetings. Wingate has won six of the last seven against the Trojans. The 'Dogs won both games by 11 points, prevailing 80-69 in Cuddy Arena, getting 21 points and 13 boards from Cureton, while Doyle added 20 points, hitting six-of-seven shots from beyond the arc. Doyle had 18 points in the 73-62 victory in Anderson, with Cureton adding 13 points and five boards.

The offense has been good for the Bulldogs this season, averaging 82.1 points per game on the year, the highest since the 2007-08 season. Wingate has scored over 90 points four times this year, after reaching the 90-point mark just three times last season. The 'Dogs leads the league in free throw percentage (75.4 percent). Six different Bulldogs are scoring over 10 points per game, with Wingate shooting 45.4 percent from the field. The 'Dogs are the only team in the SAC with six players averaging double figures on the season.

The Bulldogs are sixth in the league in scoring defense and fourth field goal percentage defense, allowing 79.0 points per game, the highest in the Brian Good era. The 'Dogs have not allowed over 73 points per game since the 2009-2010 season. Opponents are shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range against the Bulldogs this year, the second-highest in the SAC, while teams are knocking down 8.8 threes per contest against Wingate. Of the seven losses for the Bulldogs this season, five of the setbacks have come by a combined 15 points.

Baez leads the Bulldogs and ranks seventh in the SAC with 16.5 points per game, knocking down 27 triples while adding 6.3 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures each of the last 12 games, scoring 20 or more points eight times, including six of the last seven. Cureton, Dominguez and Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 13.0, 12.6 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Cureton leads the way with 8.0 rebounds per game, while Dominguez and Lolar are tied for the team lead with 36 assists.

Griffin averages 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, shooting 59 percent from the field while ranking second in the SAC with 2.3 blocks per contest. Doyle averages 10.5 points per game, knocking down a team-best 28 triples on the season while handing out 32 assists and collecting a team-best 17 steals.

Anderson enters the contest coming off back-to-back home losses, falling to Lenoir-Rhyne last weekend and No. 25 Lincoln Memorial Wednesday night. The Trojans are led by Randall Shaw, who averages a league-best 21.2 points per game, ranking third in the SAC with 44 threes on the season while shooting 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. Carlos Dotson averages 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest, shooting 58.5 percent from the field.

This marks the second game in a stretch with the Bulldogs playing three of four in Cuddy Arena. Wingate is on the road Wednesday, traveling to Charlotte to take on second-ranked Queens University. The Bulldogs host Mars Hill next Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN3.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,200 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 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 10 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 88 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 88 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 97 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.