Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs held off visiting Lenoir-Rhyne University Saturday afternoon, picking up an 80-75 victory over the Bears in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate wins its third straight, moving to 10-10 overall and 6-8 in the SAC, while the Bears fall to 11-8 overall and 7-7 in league play.

THOUGHTS FROM BRIAN GOOD

"I thought we competed very hard today. We struggled a little bit to finish in the lane, but credit to Lenoir-Rhyne with some of that. Our plan was to limit their three-point shooting and win the glass. We did a great job on both."

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 39 percent from the field, hitting eight-of-29 threes (27 percent)
- LR shot 44 percent, going seven-for-32 from beyond the arc (22 percent)
- The Bulldogs held a 44-34 rebounding advantage and 15-0 edge in second-chance points
- The Bears held a 40-36 advantage in points in the paint
- Wingate converted 14 LR turnovers into 17 points
- WU was 18-for-21 at the free throw line; LR went 12-for-12 at the line
- The Contest featured eight ties and eight lead changes; WU led for 25:41 on the day

KEY BULLDOGS

- Jarren Cottingham had 25 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists
- Miguel Priest added 14 points and 13 rebounds
- Jakob Dawkins had 14 points, six boards and three assists
- Kendrick Tucker contributed 10 points on the day
- Quantra Taylor had nine points and 13 rebounds

NOTES

- Wingate moves to 26-33 all-time against LR
- The 'Dogs are 16-14 against the Bears in Cuddy Arena
- Wingate is 9-0 when scoring at least 80 points this season
- Cottingham scores at least 20 points for the ninth time this season
- Priest has scored in double figures 10 of his last 11 games; first double-double as a Bulldog
- Dawkins hits double figures for the ninth time this season
- Taylor has piled up 27 rebounds his last two games

FIRST HALF

- Threes from Priest and Tucker gave Wingate an early 10-2 lead
- RJ Gunn buried a three to get LR within one at the 14:01 mark
- Dawkins knocked down two triples to put WU on top by seven at the midway point
- Cooper Fowler's dunk got the Bears within two at the 9:02 mark
- A Cottingham layup and triple made it 30-22 with 6:42 left
- LR scored the next eight, tying it at 30 on a Darius Simmons layup
- Buckets from Dawkins and Quantra Taylor put the 'Dogs back on top by five
- A Gunn layup and Simmons three gave the Bears a 37-35 lead with 37 seconds left
- Two Donell Nixon free throws with 16 seconds left tied it at 37

SECOND HALF

- Tyson McClain's layup five minutes in put the Bears on top 47-45
- A Taylor bucket and Cottingham three put Wingate in front by three less than a minute later
- Gunn knocked down a triple with 12:03 left to give Lenoir-Rhyne a 54-50 advantage
- Taylor's layup tied it at 57, but a Gunn dunk put the Bears back on top by four
- Tucker answered with a three, while a Priest layup gave WU a 64-63 lead with 5:32 left
- Wingate used a 7-0 run to take a 71-65 lead, sparked by a Cottingham three-point play
- Mason Hawks knocked down a three with 2:28 left to get Lenoir-Rhyne within one
- A Cottingham layup and Dawkins jumper gave Wingate a 75-70 lead with a minute left
- McClain cut the lead to three with 26 seconds to go
- Francis Sio answered with two free throws to put WU back on top by five
- Dawkins knocked down two more free throws with 10 seconds left to ice it

UP NEXT

- Wingate hosts Catawba Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
- The Bulldogs are at #2 LMU next Saturday at 4 p.m.