Men's Basketball | 2/21/2017 2:50:00 PM

Salisbury, N.C.----The Wingate Bulldogs are on the road for their final two games of the regular season, starting Wednesday night at Catawba at 8 p.m. Winners of 15 of their last 16 games, the Bulldogs enter the final week of the regular season at 18-8 overall and 15-5 in the SAC. Catawba is 17-9 overall and 11-9 in league play.

With two games remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs are alone in third place in the league standings, two games ahead of fourth-place Carson-Newman while trailing co-leaders Lincoln Memorial and Queens by two games. The Bulldogs are ranked seventh in the first NCAA Southeast Region poll, while the Eagles are 10th.

"This will be a tough test," head coach Brian Good says. "Catawba puts pressure on the ball and rebounds it as well as anyone. They also have three of the top scorers in the league in Jameel Taylor, KJ Arrington and Jerrin Morrison."

Wingate picked up its 15th win in 16 games Saturday afternoon on Senior Day, wrapping up the regular season home slate with a 90-79 victory over Carson-Newman. The Bulldogs knocked down a season-high 13 threes, while using a late 14-1 run to notch their fifth straight win over the Eagles. Senior forward Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead the Bulldogs, while classmate Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 18 points, knocking down four triples. Sophomore Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 18 points and six rebounds, while junior Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) went four-for-six from beyond the arc, scoring 12 points. Senior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) added 10 points and five blocks for the Bulldogs.

Wingate's 11-game winning streak earlier in the season included a 97-82 home victory over Catawba in January. Baez poured in a career-high 30 points, going eight-for-11 from the field and 11-of-11 at the free throw line, adding six rebounds. Doyle had 18 points on five-of-nine shooting from long range, while senior Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Lolar collected 12 points, six assists and five boards for the Bulldogs.
 
The Wingate offense averages 83.3 points per game, the highest since the 2007-08 season. The Bulldogs rank third in the SAC in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. Wingate leads the league and ranks seventh nationally with 5.4 blocked shots per game. The Bulldogs rank eighth in the nation in defensive rebounding, while ranking second in the league in rebounding margin.

Wingate shoots a league-best 75.8 percent at the free throw line, with three Bulldogs ranking in the top six in the league in free throw shooting. Lolar (85.2 percent) leads the SAC, Dominguez (82.6) and Baez (81.8) ranking fourth and sixth, respectively.

Wingate's balanced attack features six players averaging over 10 points per game, led by Baez's 16.2 points per game, ranking eighth in the SAC. He also averages 6.7 rebounds per game, good for 12th in the league while knocking down 38 triples. Dominguez contributes 14.9 points per contest, ranking 12th in the SAC while shooting 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range, good for ninth in the league. He is second on the team with 61 assists and 47 triples. Dominguez has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games, averaging 22.0 points per game in the stretch. Lolar contributes 12.5 points per game, ranking third on the team with 55 assists while knocking down 47 threes on 40 percent shooting. He is 14-for-23 from beyond the arc over the last four games (61 percent).

Cureton contributes 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, ranking third in the conference in rebounding while adding over a block and a steal per contest. He has three straight games with at least 13 rebounds. Griffin contributes 10.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and a league-best 2.8 blocks per game. The Allstate NABC Good Works Team honoree ranks in the top 10 in the SAC in blocks, rebounding and field goal percentage, ranking 10th nationally in blocked shots. He has eight games this year with at least five blocked shots, including his last two contests. Doyle averages 10.2 points per game, handing out a team-best 62 assists while also leading the team with 28 steals and 48 triples.

Catawba is coming off a victory at Brevard Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak that included setbacks against Newberry, Anderson and Queens. The Indians have three players averaging at least 15 points per game, led by Taylor's 17.2 points per contest, shooting 52 percent from the field while adding 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Arrington scores 16.0 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field, adding 5.3 boards per contest while Morrison contributes 15.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Wingate wraps up its regular season Saturday at 4 p.m., visiting Anderson. The Bulldogs have already locked up a home game in next week's SAC Tournament quarterfinals. The 'Dogs will play in Cuddy Arena Wednesday, March 1 at 8 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.