Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs closed the game on a 14-4 run Saturday evening, rallying for a 77-74 victory over visiting UVA-Wise in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate wins its third straight, improving to 7-7 overall and 3-5 in the SAC. The Cavaliers fall to 5-9 overall and 1-7 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 40 percent from the field and hit five-of-25 from beyond the arc (20 percent)
- UVA-Wise shot 42 percent from the field, connecting on nine-of-23 threes (39 percent)
- Each team pulled down 37 rebounds; the Cavs held an 8-3 edge in second-chance points
- The Bulldogs scored 19 points off of 17 UVA-Wise turnovers
- The 'Dogs held a 36-30 advantage in points in the paint
- WU went 22-for-24 at the free throw line; Wise was 15-for-19

KEY BULLDOGS

- Francis Sio had 20 points on seven-for-11 shooting, adding four boards
- Frankie Johnson piled up 18 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists
- Miguel Priest contributed 14 points, three boards and two blocks
- Jarren Cottingham added eight points for the Bulldogs

NOTES

- First-ever meeting between Wingate and UVA-Wise
- Second career 20-point effort from Sio; both this season
- Season high in points and rebounds for Johnson; seventh game with multiple steals
- Fifth straight double-digit effort from Priest; seventh of the season
- Second-best free throw percentage of the season (92 percent)

FIRST HALF

- UVA-Wise jumped out to an 11-1 lead with Wingate missing its first 12 field goal attempts
- A Sio three and Donell Nixon bucket got the 'Dogs within one at 11-10 with 11:38 to go
- Two Briggs Parris free throws pushed the UVA-Wise lead back to five with eight minutes left
- Layups from Priest and Sio gave the Bulldogs a 20-19 advantage two minutes later
- Two Kaeleb Carter free throws put the Cavs back on top by three, but a Priest triple tied it at 31
- A Sio three and Johnson steal and layup put Wingate on top 36-31 with 24 seconds left
- Cameron Whiteside's bucket in the final seconds got the Cavaliers within three at halftime

SECOND HALF

- A Parris triple three minutes into the second half put UVA-Wise on top 41-40
- Priest's dunk put Wingate back on top, but UVA-Wise scored the next 10, taking a 51-43 lead on a Whiteside dunk
- Priest's three-point play got WU within five at the 13:45 mark
- A Whiteside triple put the Cavs on top by 10 with 12 minutes left
- Sio buried a three to get the 'Dogs back within five at 56-51
- Whiteside's layup pushed the lead to eight, but a Sio layup and Jakob Dawkins three got WU within one at the 8:43 mark
- Whitside buried another triple with four minutes left to give UVA-Wise a 69-63 advantage
- Free throws from Johnson, Sio and Cottingham tied it at 69 with 2:54 left
- A Cottingham steal and three-point play gave Wingate a 72-69 lead with 1:24 to go
- After two Drew Greene free throws, a Johnson jumper in the paint put WU back up by three with 42 seconds left
- A Parris bucket with 13 seconds left got the Cavs back within one
- Johnson knocked down two free throws with 11 seconds left to make it 77-74
- The Cavaliers missed a pair of threes on the final possession as the 'Dogs secured the win

UP NEXT

- Wingate is at Newberry Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
- The Bulldogs travel to Tusculum Saturday at 4 p.m.
- WU returns home Wednesday, Jan. 22, hosting Queens at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3