Men's Basketball | 1/6/2017 12:56:00 PM

Jefferson City, Tenn.----The Wingate University Bulldogs put a three-game winning streak on the line Saturday afternoon, traveling to Carson-Newman for a 4 p.m. tip in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. Wingate is 6-7 overall and 3-4 in the SAC, while the Eagles enter the weekend 8-5 overall and 5-2 in league play.

The Bulldogs have been dominant in the three-game winning streak, averaging 87 points per game while winning the three contests by an average of 20 points per game. The 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 sophomore Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) 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 Wednesday night, leading by as many as 24. Wingate got 22 points and 10 rebounds from Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.), 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.  

Wingate and Carson-Newman met three times last year, with the Bulldogs winning all three contests. The 'Dogs rolled to a 71-48 home win, getting 17 points from Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.). Wingate won 81-60 at Carson-Newman, with Baez going eight-for-10 from the field and six-of-eight from three-point range to score 22 points. Cureton added 16 points for the Bulldogs. The teams met in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals, which Wingate won 75-69 thanks to a 25-point, 10-rebound effort from Baez.

The offense continues to be a strong point for the Bulldogs, averaging 81.2 points per game on the year, the highest since the 2007-08 season. Six different Bulldogs are scoring over 10 points per game, with Wingate shooting 45.7 percent from the field. The 'Dogs are the only team in the SAC with six players averaging double figures. The Bulldogs are fifth in the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, allowing 78.9 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 40.6 percent from three-point range against the Bulldogs this year, the highest in the SAC, while teams are knocking down 9.7 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 11th in the SAC with 15.1 points per game, knocking down a team-best 23 triples while adding 6.4 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures each of the last 10 games, scoring 20 or more points six times, including four of the last five. Cureton and Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) contribute 13.4 and 13.2 points per game. Cureton adds 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per contest, while Lolar is tied with Baez for the team lead with 23 threes, shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. He is second on the team with 29 assists on the year, adding 5.3 rebounds per game.

Dominguez scores 12.6 points per game, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc while handing out a team-best 31 assists. Griffin averages 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, shooting 58.3 percent from the field while ranking second in the SAC with 2.1 blocks per contest. Doyle averages 10.1 points per game, knocking down 21 triples on the season.

Carson-Newman has won two straight, winning at Mars Hill on New Year's Eve, while prevailing 95-84 over Tusculum Wednesday night. The Eagles average 86.7 points per game on the year, shooting 49 percent from the field. Carson-Newman has two of the league's top four scorers, led by Charles Clark, ranking second in the SAC with 20.5 points per game, shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc. Sawyer Williams averages 18.4 points per contest, shooting 60 percent from the field. Clark scored 21.6 points per contest last year, but in three games against Wingate, he averaged 11.6 points per game on 27 percent shooting from the field and two-of-15 shooting from three-point range (13 percent).

Saturday's game will be the 10th contest away from Cuddy Arena for the Bulldogs this season. Wingate has played only four home games, going 3-1 in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs will play three of their next four and five of the next seven at home, starting Wednesday night, hosting Catawba at 8 p.m. Wingate hosts Anderson next Saturday at 4 p.m.

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.