Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University redshirt junior forward Rashaard Pringle had 20 points and 13 rebounds in his Cuddy Arena debut Wednesday night, leading the Bulldogs to an impressive 80-77 victory over defending CIAA champion Virginia State in NCAA Division II basketball action. Wingate moves to 3-0 overall, while the Trojans fall to 2-1 on the season.

THOUGHTS FROM BRIAN GOOD

"I thought we really changed the tempo of the game in the second half and that was a big factor. Virginia State is really good in a half court game, we needed to make it more of a full court game and we did. Rashaard was great tonight. Not only did he have a good game, but he made big plays with the game on the line."

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 43 percent from the field, hitting six-of-23 threes (26 percent)
- VSU shot 47 percent, connecting on 12-of-27 threes (44 percent)
- Each team had 38 rebounds; the 'Dogs had a 10-7 edge in second-chance points
- Virginia State had 16 turnovers; Wingate had just six turnovers
- The 'Dogs had eight steals; Virginia State had three steals
- Wingate held a 36-28 advantage in points in the paint
- The Bulldogs scored 16 points off Virginia State turnovers

KEY BULLDOGS

- Pringle went seven-of-14 from the field for his 20 points, adding two blocks and two steals
- Jarren Cottingham had 19 points and two steals
- Jakob Dawkins added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals
- Frankie Johnson contributed eight points, six assists and three rebounds
- Francis Sio had eight points, hitting two-of-three triples

FIRST HALF

- William Vedder's layup gave the Trojans a 17-11 lead seven minutes in
- Cottingham buried a three at the midway point to get the 'Dogs within three
- Sio drained a triple at the 6:47 mark to tie it at 23
- A Walter Williams dunk put VSU on top 27-23 with five minutes left in the half
- Three Pringle free throws and a Dawkins dunk gave WU a 28-27 advantage
- Jarron Santos buried a three put Virginia State back on top with two minutes left
- Vontrez Roberts hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to tie it at 33 at halftime

SECOND HALF

- Wingate opened the half on a 9-2 run to take a six-point lead
- A Dawkins three and Quantra Taylor putback capped the spurt
- VSU used a 17-5 run to take a 59-51 lead on an Andrew Corum jumper at the 11:20 mark
- A Halil Parks three at the midway point gave the Trojans a 62-53 advantage
- WU scored the next six, with a Cottingham dunk getting the 'Dogs within three
- Virginia State pushed the advantage back to eight on a Corum bucket with six minutes left
- Wingate scored the next 11 points to regain the lead
- Sio's three made it a five-point game, while back-to-back Pringle buckets tied it
- A Dawkins laypu and Pringle bucket gave WU a 72-69 lead with 2:39 to go
- A Cottingham layup and Pringle putback dunk put Wingate on top by six with 33 seconds left
- VSU got no closer than three the rest of the way, with Johnson and Cottingham hitting free throws down the stretch

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting Emmanuel at 2 p.m.
- The Bulldogs host UNC Pembroke the following Wednesday at 7 p.m.
- WU opens SAC play against LMU the following Saturday in Cuddy Arena