Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs outscored visiting Catawba College 56-42 in the second half Wednesday night, rallying for an 84-80 victory in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 11-10 overall and 8-5 in the SAC. The Indians fall to 6-13 overall and 3-11 in league play.

Junior guard Emarius Logan (Columbia, S.C.) had 19 points on five-of-eight shooting to lead the Bulldogs, knocking down a pair of triples while going seven-for-seven at the free throw line. Senior guard Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, knocking down five-of-seven shots from three-point range on the night, while junior guard Marco Haskins (Fredericksburg, Va.) added 16 points and seven boards, connecting on four-of-eight shots from beyond the arc. Graduate student Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) contributed 14 points and five assists, while senior Devarious Christian (Charlotte, N.C.) had 10 points, nine boards and two steals for the Bulldogs.

"The difference in the two halves was Devarious," head coach Brian Good says. "Without his energy and effort, we just aren't as good. It doesn't matter how many he scores, how many rebounds he gets, we play better defense and run better offense when he's in the game."

Jerrin Morrison had 27 points to lead the Catawba offense, knocking down five triples on the night. Malik Constantine added nine points and 10 boards, with Tae Cannon and Carter Phillips contributing eight points.

Logan knocked down a three to give Wingate a 17-16 lead nine minutes into the opening half, but Catawba countered with a 9-0 run to take a 25-17 lead on a Constantine triple with 8:50 to go. Farley's layup trimmed the deficit to five with a layup at the 4:57 mark, but a TJ Jeffers three-point play put the Indians on top by 10. Farley answered with a four-point play, while Logan cut the lead to four with two free throws, but Morrison's four-point play in the final second put Catawba up 38-28 at halftime.

Constantine's layup in the opening minute of the second half put the Indians on top by 13, but Wingate countered with a 15-5 run to get within three. Lolar had eight points in the flurry, capping it with a three at the 15:08 mark. Jeremy McLaughlin's bucket pushed the Catawba lead back to six with 12:45 to go, but Wingate scored the next eight points, with a Logan jumper tying it and Christian's layup giving the 'Dogs a 56-54 advantage at the midway point.

A Neico Robinson (Easley, S.C.) layup pushed the lead to three, but Phillips buried a triple at the 7:48 mark to give the Indians a two-point advantage. Haskins answered with a triple, followed by a four-point play to give Wingate a 68-61 lead with five minutes to go. Barber's triple got the Indians within four, but a Lolar three and Farley layup made it 77-70 with two minutes remaining. Morrison's three got Catawba within four a minute later, while another Morrison triple made it a two-point game with 18 seconds left. Logan went four-for-four at the free throw line in the final 13 seconds to go to cap it.

Wingate shot 48.3 percent from the field, hitting 12-of-23 shots from three-point range (52.2 percent). The Bulldogs went 19-for-33 from the field in the second half and knocked down 14-of-16 free throws on the night. Catawba shot 50 percent from the field, hitting 11-of-24 shots from beyond the arc (45.8 percent). The Indians held a 35-34 rebounding advantage, with Catawba holding a 12-8 edge in second-chance points. Both teams scored 32 points in the paint, while Wingate converted 16 Catawba turnovers into 17 points.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, traveling to Tusculum for a 4 p.m. start. Wingate is home for two games next week, hosting second-ranked Queens on Wednesday and top-ranked Lincoln Memorial next Saturday.