Men's Basketball | 3/10/2017 1:21:00 PM

Championship Central
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Charlotte, N.C.----For the fourth time this season and 10th time in the last three seasons, the Wingate University Bulldogs and Queens University Royals will face off against one another. The eighth-seeded Bulldogs take on the top-seeded and sixth-ranked Royals Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on the campus of Queens University. Wingate enters the NCAA Tournament at 20-10 overall after going 16-6 in league play. Queens is 28-3 overall after posting a 19-3 record in league play.

"It's really difficult playing a team four times," head coach Brian Good says. "Having to play the number one seed on their court makes it even more challenging. Queens outplayed us in every facet of the game last Saturday. We will need a much better effort if we want to advance."

This will be the 11th appearance for Wingate in the NCAA Division II tournament. The Bulldogs earned back-to-back automatic bids in 2012 and 2013 after winning SAC Tournament titles. Wingate was an at-large selection last season, earning the number three seed. The Bulldogs are 8-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Wingate won the NCAA Southeast regional in 2007 to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. The Bulldogs defeated second-seeded USC Aiken in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, advancing to the regional semifinals. Wingate returned to the regional semifinals in 2013 when the fourth-seeded Bulldogs defeated fifth-seeded Limestone. The Bulldogs defeated sixth-seeded Montevallo in overtime last year. Wingate has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of its last five appearances.

The Bulldogs are in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year thanks to a strong finish, winning 17 of their last 20 games after a 3-7 start. Wingate is the only team in the NCAA Division II men's tournament that won just three of its first 10 games. The second-worst record for an at-large team this season was Dixie State, who started 6-4. The Bulldogs won 11 straight games during the season, the longest winning streak since the 2000-01 campaign.

Wingate and Queens have already played three times this year, while also meeting three times each of the previous two seasons. The Bulldogs lead the season series 2-1, while winning six of the last nine games dating back to the start of the 2014-15 season. Wingate is 2-2 at Queens during the stretch.

The Bulldogs handed the Royals their first loss of the season on Jan. 18, holding Queens to a season-low 64 points in a 71-64 victory in Charlotte, when the Royals were ranked third nationally. Sophomore guard Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) led five Bulldogs in double figures with 17 points, while senior Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) contributed 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Senior Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) also had 12 points, while junior Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had 11 points. Senior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 10 points, 10 boards and three blocks.

The Bulldogs swept the regular season series with an 86-79 win in Cuddy Arena on Feb. 8, getting 22 points and four assists from senior Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.), while Baez added 21 points and nine boards, with the duo going a combined 15-for-15 at the free throw line. Cureton had 17 points and nine boards, while Lolar went six-for-eight from the field to score 16 points.

Queens prevailed 79-51 in last week's SAC Tournament semifinals in Greenville en route to a SAC Tournament title. Todd Withers had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Royals, hitting five-of-eight shots from three-point range. Daniel Camps added 15 points and nine boards, while Ike Agusi chipped in with 14 points. Baez led the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Griffin added 10 points and five rebounds. Wingate was held to a season low in points and field goal percentage.

Wingate's balanced attack has six players averaging over 10 points per game, led by Baez's 15.7 points per contest, adding 6.9 rebounds per game while knocking down 43 triples. Dominguez contributes 14.5 points per game, shooting 42 percent from three-point range while handing out a team-best 71 assists. Cureton averages 12.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest, adding over a block and a steal per game.

Lolar scores 11.6 points per game for the Bulldogs, knocking down 49 triples on 38 percent shooting while ranking third on the team with 58 assists. Griffin contributes 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and a league-best 2.7 blocks per contest. Doyle averages 10.4 points per game, knocking down a team-best 58 threes while also leading the team in steals and ranking second on the team with 67 assists.

Queens is coming off a 75-72 win over ninth-ranked LMU in the SAC title game to claim its first-ever SAC Tournament title and lock up the number one seed in this week's tournament. Queens has five players averaging double figures on the year, led by Camps at 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, shooting 64 percent from the field. The SAC Tournament MVP had 29 points in the SAC title game. Jalin Alexander contributes 13.8 points per game, shooting 49 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. Withers scores 13.2 points per contest, shooting 39 percent from three-point range while adding 6.8 rebounds per game. Mike Davis knocks down 2.6 triples per game, averaging 12.7 points per contest, while Agusi contributes 10.3 points and 4.3 assists per game.

The winner of Saturday's contest advances to Sunday's regional semifinal to face the winner of the Columbus State vs. Augusta contest at 7:30 p.m. The regional title game will be held Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Every game of the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament will take place at Queens University.

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.