Wingate, N.C.----The Carson-Newman University Eagles outscored Wingate University 18-3 in overtime Saturday afternoon, prevailing 81-66 over the Bulldogs in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. The Eagles improve to 15-2 overall and 7-2 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 8-9 overall and 5-4 in league play.
Charles Clark scored 13 of his game-high 31 points in overtime, adding six rebounds, three assists and three steals while going 10-for-11 at the free throw line.
Shaun Jones added 18 points and 11 rebounds, while
Malik Abraham contributed 12 points, hitting four-of-seven shots from beyond the arc.
Junior guard
Marco Haskins (Fredericksburg, Va.) had 19 points to lead the Wingate offense, adding six boards while hitting five-of-11 shots from three-point range. Junior forward
Neico Robinson (Easley, S.C.) had 16 points, three boards and two steals, while senior guard
Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had 15 points. Graduate student point guard
Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) had seven points and 10 assists, while freshman center
Quantra Taylor (Indian Land, S.C.) pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds.
The Eagles scored the first six points of the game, but two Haskins triples tied it 6-6. Back-to-back Robinson jumpers gave the Bulldogs a 15-14 lead with 11 minutes left in the half, but buckets from Clark and Jones gave the Eagles a 21-17 advantage.
Jones added a three-point play to extend the lead to seven, but the 'Dogs scored the next five points, with a Lolar triple helping Wingate get within two with 3:50 to go. Clark's layup extended the lead back to six, but a Lolar three and Farley layup got the 'Dogs within a point.
Josh Murray's layup in the final 30 seconds gave the Eagles a 31-28 halftime lead.
Lolar scored the first eight points of the second half, giving the Bulldogs a 36-31 lead at the 16:45 mark. A Haskins triple extended the lead to six, while Robinson's three-point play made it 42-35 at the 14:48 mark. Robinson added a layup to give Wingate its largest lead of the day at 44-36. Abraham buried back-to-back triples to get the Eagles within two at the 13:26 mark. Farley's bucket at the 9;10 mark put the 'Dogs back on top by five, but Murray's dunk got Carson-Newman within a point at 51-50 with 7:31 left.
Grant Teichmann knocked down a three to give the Eagles a 60-57 advantage with 2:48 left, but Haskins answered with a triple to tie it. Haskins knocked down another three the next time down to put the Bulldogs back on top by three, but free throws from Clark and Jones tied it at 63 with 18 seconds left. Haskins missed a potential go-ahead three with eight seconds left, but Farley forced a CN turnover, giving Wingate a chance with four seconds left, but Farley's potential game-winner was just long.
Haskins answered a Clark layup with a bucket of his own a minute into overtime, but the Eagles had the emphatic answer, scoring the next 16 points to take an 81-65 advantage. Clark had 11 points in the flurry for the Eagles.
Carson-Newman shot 45.9 percent from the field, hitting nine-of-19 shots from three-point range (47.4 percent). Wingate shot 33.8 percent from the field, hitting 11-of-35 shots from beyond the arc (31.4 percent). The Eagles shot 76 percent from the field in overtime, hitting seven-of-10 shots including both from three-point attempts. Wingate went one-for-eight from the field in overtime. The Eagles ended the night with a 47-39 rebounding advantage, with Wingate holding a 15-9 edge in second-chance points.
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, traveling to Coker for an 8 p.m. start.
