Men's Basketball | 2/3/2017 1:02:00 PM

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Harrogate, Tenn.----The Wingate University Bulldogs put their 11-game winning streak on the line Saturday afternoon, traveling to Lincoln Memorial to face the No. 21 Railsplitters at 2 p.m. on American Sports Network. Wingate is 14-7 overall and 11-4 in the SAC, alone in third place in the league standings, one game behind second-place LMU. The Railsplitters have won six straight, entering the weekend 17-4 overall and 12-3 in the conference.

"We know this will be a difficult challenge," head coach Brian Good says. "Coach Schertz has built one of the best programs in the country. They defend hard and are very efficient on offense. We will need to be very focused on both ends."

Wingate and LMU are two of the top defenses in the conference. The Railsplitters lead the SAC, allowing just 73.6 points per game while also leading the way in field goal percentage defense (39 percent). The Bulldogs rank third in the league, allowing 76.6 points per contest, while also ranking third in field goal percentage defense (41.7 percent). Wingate leads the conference and ranks seventh nationally with 5.3 blocks per contest. LMU leads the nation in defensive rebounding, while the Bulldogs rank ninth nationally.

The Bulldogs and Railsplitters met in December in Cuddy Arena, with LMU prevailing 84-72. Wingate has not lost since the Lincoln Memorial setback. Junior Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) added 20 points, five boards and four steals. Senior Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) contributed 18 points, hitting four-of-five shots from three-point range. Dorian Pinson led five Railsplitters in double figures with 21 points, adding 11 rebounds, while Luquon Choice had 19 points and four assists. Chris Perry contributed 16 points on eight-of-10 shooting.

LMU has won nine straight against Wingate and leads the all-time series 19-9. The Bulldogs and Railsplitters have met in the SAC Tournament five times in the last six years, including three times in the SAC title game. Lincoln Memorial defeated the Bulldogs in last year's SAC title contest. Wingate's last victory over LMU came in the 2013 SAC Tournament championship game. The 'Dogs also downed Lincoln Memorial in the 2012 SAC Tournament semifinals en route to a tourney title.

The Bulldogs have had three winning streaks of eight games over the last four seasons. Last Wednesday's win at Lenoir-Rhyne gave Wingate its first nine-game winning streak since the 2007-08 season. Saturday's victory over Tusculum gave the 'Dogs their first 10-game winning streak since the 2001-02 season, when Wingate Hall of Famer and former NBA player Junior Harrington led the Bulldogs during his senior season. Wingate's 11th straight victory came Wednesday night, prevailing 85-77 over Newberry. Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) had 19 points, six boards and three blocks, while Baez added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Doyle chipped in with 14 points, while Lolar added 12 points, going 10-for-10 at the free throw line. The 11-game winning streak is the longest since the 'Dogs won 13 straight to open the 2000-01 season. It is currently the eighth-longest active winning streak in the nation.

Wingate's 11-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. The Bulldogs picked up a huge 71-64 victory at third-ranked Queens, handing the Royals their first loss of the season. That was followed by a 94-73 victory over Mars Hill and last a 79-72 win at Lenoir-Rhyne. Wingate downed Tusculum 84-67 last Saturday, followed by Wednesday's victory over Newberry.

During the 11-game winning streak, Wingate is averaging 84.2 points per game, allowing just 71.2 points per contest. The 'Dogs are shooting 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range, while holding opponents to 39 percent shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are out-rebounding opponents by eight boards per game while shooting 78 percent from the free throw line.

Baez is scoring 17.5 points per game during the winning streak, shooting 52 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range. Dominguez is scoring 13.9 points per game on 42 percent shooting from beyond the arc, adding 4.6 boards per game. Doyle, Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.), Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) and Lolar average between 10.2 and 11.5 points per game in the streak. Doyle has buried 25 triples on 39 percent shooting while shooting 91 percent at the free throw line. Griffin is shooting 60 percent from the field while adding 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per contest, while Cureton is pulling down a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game, also leading the team with 29 assists during the stretch. Lolar is shooting 92 percent from the free throw line over the last 11 games, adding 27 assists.

The Wingate offense is averaging 81.9 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 (74.9 percent). Six different Bulldogs are scoring at least 11 points per game, with Wingate shooting 45 percent from the field. The 'Dogs are the only team in the SAC and the region with six players averaging at least 11 points per game this season. Wingate has had 13 occasions this season with at least four players scoring in double figures and six times that least five players have scored 10 points or more.  

Baez leads the Bulldogs and ranks 10th in the SAC with 16.0 points per game, knocking down 34 triples while adding 6.8 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures each of the last 18 games, scoring 20 or more points eight times. Dominguez averages 13.3 points per contest, with Lolar and Griffin at 12.3 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Dominguez shoots 48 percent from the field 41 percent from beyond the arc, while Lolar has knocked down 33 triples on the season, leading the team with 50 assists while shooting a league-best 85 percent at the free throw line. Griffin contributes 11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, leading the SAC and ranking 12th nationally with 2.6 blocks per contest while shooting 59.4 percent from the field.

Cureton scores 11.3 points per game, leading the team and ranking fourth in the SAC with 8.3 rebounds per contest. Doyle is averaging 11.0 points per game, knocking down a team-best 42 triples to go along with a team-high 23 steals. He shoots a league-best 88.6 percent at the free throw line in SAC play. Wingate has three of the top 12 free throw shooters in the league. Lolar (first), Baez (eighth) and Dominguez (12th) all shoot above 77 percent. The Bulldogs have four different players that have knocked down over 30 triples on the season.   

LMU is riding a seven-game winning streak, leading the league and ranking fourth nationally in scoring offense, averaging 94.9 points per game. The Railsplitters rank third nationally in scoring margin, fourth in field goal percentage, sixth in rebounding margin and seventh in three-point field goal percentage. Perry is third in the SAC with 19.0 points per game, leading the nation in field goal percentage (71.1 percent). Choice is sixth in the league, scoring 17.8 points per contest, knocking down a league-best 85 threes on 50 percent shooting. He ranks second nationally in made threes per game. Pinson contributes 12.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per contest.

After Saturday's contest, the Bulldogs play three of their next four games in Cuddy Arena. Wingate hosts seventh-ranked Queens Wednesday night at 8 p.m. The Bulldogs are at Brevard next Saturday, then return home to host Coker the following Wednesday and Carson-Newman on Saturday, Feb. 18.

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.