Men's Basketball | 2/24/2017 1:34:00 PM

Anderson, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs close out the regular season Saturday afternoon, traveling to Anderson for a 4 p.m. start. Winners of 15 of their last 17 games, the Bulldogs enter the final day of the regular season at 18-9 overall and 15-6 in the SAC. Anderson is 13-14 overall and 11-10 in conference play.

"Anderson is playing very good basketball," head coach Brian Good says. "They are 6-3 in the last month. Coach Brookman does a great job. I thought we were fortunate to win in our first matchup. It will be a difficult challenge. Most of all, I am anxious to see how we respond after Wednesday's poor performance."

On the final day of the regular season, the Bulldogs are alone in third place in the SAC standings. Despite starting the season 1-4 in league play, the 'Dogs are one game up on fourth-place Carson-Newman entering the final day of the regular season. Wingate has already locked up a home game in next week's SAC Tournament. The 'Dogs are ranked seventh in the most recent NCAA Southeast Region poll.

The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 89-57 loss at Catawba Wednesday night. Wingate scored a season-low 57 points, while allowing the Indians to shoot 52.4 percent, the highest an opponent has shot this season. The Bulldogs were also out-rebounded by a season-high 21 boards Wednesday night. Senior Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) led the 'Dogs with 16 points, while junior guard Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) added 10 points.

Wingate's 11-game winning streak earlier in the season included a 76-70 victory over Anderson in Cuddy Arena. Doyle had 20 points, knocking down four-of-six shots from three-point range while also going eight-for-eight at the free throw line. Sophomore Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) had 11 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots.
 
The Wingate offense averages 82.4 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 10th in the nation in defensive rebounding, while ranking second in the league in rebounding margin.

Wingate shoots a league-best 75.9 percent at the free throw line, with three Bulldogs ranking in the top six in the league in free throw shooting. Lolar (83.7 percent) ranks third in the SAC, with Baez (82.0 percent) and Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) (81.8 percent) ranking fifth and sixth, respectively.

Wingate's balanced attack features six players averaging over 10 points per game, led by Baez's 15.9 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 14.7 points per contest, ranking 13th in the SAC while shooting 47 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range. He is tied for the team lead with 63 assists while ranking third with 47 triples. Lolar contributes 12.4 points per game, ranking third on the team with 56 assists while knocking down 48 threes on 39 percent shooting.

Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributes 11.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, ranking third in the conference in rebounding while adding over a block and a steal per contest. Griffin contributes 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and a league-best 2.7 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. Doyle averages 10.4 points per game, handing out 63 assists while also leading the team with 29 steals and 52 triples.

Anderson has won three of its last four games, coming off a 93-71 setback at Lincoln Memorial. Randall Shaw leads the Trojans and ranks second in the SAC with 21.2 points per game, knocking down three triples per contest on 40 percent shooting. Carlos Dotson averages 10.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, while Maurice Howard contributes 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per contest.

Wingate will be back in action Wednesday night, hosting the opening round of the SAC Tournament quarterfinals at 8 p.m. on ESPN3. The Bulldogs have clinched the number three seed and will host either Anderson, Newberry or Catawba in the quarterfinals. This year's SAC Tournament semifinals and finals will take place at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.

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.