Men's Basketball | 1/24/2017 2:45:00 PM

Hickory, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs put their league-best eight-game winning streak on the line Wednesday night, traveling to Hickory to take on Lenoir-Rhyne University at 8 p.m. Wingate enters the contest 11-7 overall and 8-4 in the SAC. The Bears are 9-8 overall and 8-4 in league play. Wingate and LRU are tied for fourth in the conference standings, a game back of Carson-Newman and LMU, who are tied for second at 9-3 in league play.

"We will have to be ready to defend," head coach Brian Good says. "Few teams in our league shoot the ball as well as they do. They have five guys among the leaders in three-point shooting. They also do a great job in their zone defense of making it difficult to score. Anytime you are on the road in the SAC, you have to play well in order to have a chance to win."

Wingate's eighth straight victory came Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena, avenging an early season loss by rolling to a 94-73 win over Mars Hill. The Bulldogs shot 56 percent from the field, piling up a season-high 22 assists on 32 made field goals. Senior center Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) led six players in double figures with 21 points, adding six rebounds and six blocks. Senior guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 17 points and five assists, while senior forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 11 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and four assists for the Bulldogs.

For Wingate, this marks the third eight-game winning streak in the last four seasons. The Bulldogs reeled off eight straight in the 2013-14 season, while also collecting eight straight victories last season. The last streak of more than eight wins came back in the 2007-08 season, a nine-game winning streak.

Wingate's eight-game winning streak started before Christmas, a 22-point victory over Brevard. The 'Dogs rolled to an 84-61 win at Mount Olive on New Year's Eve, followed by a 99-84 victory at Coker. Wingate prevailed 79-77 at Carson-Newman, while downing Catawba 97-82 in Cuddy Arena. That was followed by a 76-70 victory over Anderson. Prior to Saturday's win over Mars Hill, the Bulldogs picked up a huge 71-64 victory at third-ranked Queens, handing the Royals their first loss of the season.

During the eight-game winning streak, Wingate is averaging 84.8 points per game, allowing just 70.9 points per contest. The 'Dogs are shooting 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range, while holding opponents to 39 percent shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are out-rebounding opponents by nine boards per game while shooting 78 percent from the free throw line.

Sophomore guard Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) is scoring 18.6 points per game during the winning streak, shooting 58 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range. Doyle, Griffin, Cureton and Dominguez all average between 10.8 and 12.5 points per contest in the streak, led by Doyle's 12.5 points per game on 43 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 91 percent at the free throw line. Griffin is collecting 12.0 points and 6.6 boards per game, shooting 59 percent from the field while piling up 26 blocked shots. Cureton is contributing 11.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, adding a team-best 23 assists while Dominguez averages 10.9 points per game, shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc.

The Wingate offense is averaging 81.8 points per game on the year, the highest since the 2007-08 season. Wingate has scored over 90 points five times this year, after reaching the 90-point mark just three times last season. The 'Dogs lead the league in free throw percentage (74.1 percent). Six different Bulldogs are scoring over 11 points per game, with Wingate shooting 45.5 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 third in the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, allowing 77.3 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 8.6 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.

The Bulldogs and Bears met in Cuddy Arena in November, with Wingate leading wire-to-wire in 94-82 victory. Doyle led six players in double figures with 20 points, while sophomore Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) had 16 points off the bench, going seven-for-seven from the field. Dominguez added 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, going nine-for-nine from the free throw line. Reed Lucas led Lenoir-Rhyne with 18 points. The 'Dogs outscored the Bears 50-28 in the paint

Baez leads the Bulldogs and ranks ninth in the SAC with 16.2 points per game, knocking down 31 triples while adding 6.3 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures each of the last 15 games, scoring 20 or more points eight times. Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.), Cureton, Dominguez, Griffin and Doyle average between 11.4 and 12.1 points per contest. Lolar has a team-best 45 assists, while Cureton leads the 'Dogs with 8.6 rebounds per game, registering three double-doubles in the last four games.

Dominguez is second on the team with 40 assists while shooting 39 percent from three-point range. Griffin leads the SAC and ranks eighth nationally with 2.7 blocks per game, while also ranking in the top 10 in the league in rebounding and field goal percentage. Doyle has hit a team-best 37 triples on the season, adding 40 assists and a team-best 21 steals.

Lenoir-Rhyne has won three straight, coming off a 75-70 win at Brevard Saturday. The Bears have six players scoring over 8.5 points per game, led by Darrion Evans, contributing 14.6 points and 3.1 assists per contest. Lucas scores 13.8 points per game, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc, while Jalen Variste shoots 40 percent from three-point range, averaging 10.7 points per contest.

Wingate returns home for its next two games after Wednesday night's trip to Hickory. The Bulldogs host Tusculum Saturday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. Wingate hosts Newberry Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. Both contests will air 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.