Anderson, S.C.----Wingate University senior forward
Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) had 25 points and nine rebounds Saturday afternoon, leading the visiting Bulldogs to an 84-73 victory at Anderson University on the final day of the 2016-17 men's basketball South Atlantic Conference schedule. Wingate closed out the regular season by winning 16 of its final 18 games, entering the postseason at 19-9 overall after going 16-6 in the SAC to finish alone in third place. Anderson is 13-15 overall and 11-11 in league play.
"We got back to playing the way we want to play," head coach
Brian Good says. "We defended hard, attacked the glass and shared the ball. I was very pleased to see us bounce back from Wednesday."
Cureton went nine-for-13 from the field while adding three blocks on the afternoon. Sophomore
Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 18 points and nine rebounds, while senior
Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 12 points, knocking down two-of-three shots from beyond the arc. Senior
Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) chipped in with 11 points, six boards and two blocks for the Bulldogs.
Lex Davis had 18 points to lead the Anderson offense, while
Andrew Boynton had 15 points on five-of-eight shooting from the field.
Maurice Howard contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while
Jeremy Bouton and
Carlos Dotson added eight points each for the Trojans.
Threes from Doyle and
Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) helped the Bulldogs take an early 10-6 lead, but a Davis bucket gave Anderson a one-point advantage at the 14:32 mark. A Cureton bucket and two Baez free throws, along with a
Jeremy Williams (Monroe, N.C.) layup put the 'Dogs on top by six at the midway point of the first half, but a free throw and a triple from Bouton tied it at 22 with 9:15 to go.
Griffin and Cureton gave Wingate a 28-24 advantage with back-to-back layups, while another Cureton bucket and
Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) three put the Bulldogs on top by seven at the 6:18 mark. Two Dotson free throws got the Trojans back within three, while a Davis dunk with 29 seconds left got Anderson within two. Dominguez knocked down a pair of free throws in the final seconds to give the Bulldogs a 38-34 halftime advantage.
A Baez bucket and two Griffin free throws gave Wingate an eight-point edge early in the second half, but back-to-back Dotson buckets, along with a Howard layup tied it at 42 with 17 minutes remaining. Boynton buried a three at the 15:16 mark to give Anderson a three-point lead, but Cureton answered with a triple to tie it at 49. Cureton followed with a jumper, while a Baez three-point play gave Wingate a 54-49 advantage. Two free throws and a three from Boynton gave the lead back to the Trojans with 12:18 to go.
Wingate regained the lead when buckets from Doyle and Cureton made it 60-57, while Doyle's triple at the 6:30 mark made it 66-61.
Shawn Benard got Anderson within four with a triple with five minutes left, but two Cureton free throws and a big Baez three gave the 'Dogs a 75-66 lead at the 2:46 mark. A layup and a free throw from Cureton made it 80-68 with 45 seconds remaining. The Trojans would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
After shooting its second lowest percentage of the season from the field on Wednesday, Wingate shot 53.6 percent from the field Saturday, hitting six-of-nine shots from three-point range (66.7 percent). Anderson shot 41.3 percent from the field, knocking down nine-of-27 shots from beyond the arc (33.3 percent). The Bulldogs held a 39-28 rebounding advantage, holding a 36-28 edge in points in the paint.
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, hosting Catawba College at 8 p.m. in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals. Wingate and Catawba split their regular season series this year, with each team winning at home. The winner will advance to the SAC Tournament semifinals in Greenville, S.C.
