Mars Hill, N.C.----Wingate University guards Jarren Cottingham, Andreas Wilson and Sean Elmore each hit the 20-point mark Saturday afternoon, as the Bulldogs rolled to a 96-79 victory at Mars Hill University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. The 'Dogs improve to 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the SAC, while the Lions fall to 4-8 overall and 4-5 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 49 percent from the field; Mars Hill shot 44 percent
- The Bulldogs were 12-for-27 from three-point range; MHU went eight-for-27 from deep
- The Lions held a 48-36 rebounding advantage and 17-10 edge in second-chance points
- The 'Dogs scored 31 points off 18 MHU turnovers
- Wingate held a 46-42 advantage in points in the paint

KEY BULLDOGS

- Cottingham had 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals
- The All-SAC honoree went 10-for-17 from the field
- Wilson had 21 points in 18 minutes of action, knocking down four triples
- Elmore had 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, hitting six-of-10 threes
- Rashaard Pringle added 11 points on five-of-nine shooting
- Vontrez Roberts contributed 10 points and seven rebounds
- Donell Nixon had six points, six assists and three steals

NOTES

- The Bulldogs improve to 44-18 all-time against the Lions
- The 'Dogs are now 18-12 at Mars Hill
- Wingate has won the last four in the series
- WU season-high for points and field goals made
- Cottingham's 28th career 20-point game; fifth this season
- Elmore's first 20-point game as a Bulldog; sixth game with at least 15 points
- He tied his WU-career high with six threes made
- Wilson's fourth 20-point game; third this season
- Fifth time this season Wilson has hit at least four threes in a game
- Eight time this season Nixon has had at least five assists in a game
- Third straight double-digit scoring effort from Roberts; fourth of the season

FIRST HALF

- A Jay Hickman three gave the Lions a 7-0 lead less than a minute in
- Threes from Pringle and Elmore sparked an 8-0 run that put WU on top 8-7
- Elmore's triple at the 16:49 mark put the Bulldogs on top for good
- A jumper and three from Wilson pushed the lead to seven with 11:56 to go
- Buckets from Nixon, Roberts and Pringle made it 30-18 at the 8:24 mark
- A 10-2 run extended the lead to 18, with Cottingham and Wilson scoring four each in the spurt
- An Isaiah Jones triple pulled the Lions within 10 with 2:33 to go
- Wilson answered with a triple, while a Cottingham layup in the final minute gave WU a 45-32 halftime lead

SECOND HALF

- Two Pringle layups in the opening minute pushed the Bulldog lead to 17
- Hickman's triple cut the deficit to 14 with 17 minutes remaining
- A pair of Destin Clark buckets sparked a 6-0 run that gave Wingate a 57-37 advantage
- A pair of Elmore threes pushed the lead to 24 with 14 minutes left
- A 12-2 Mars Hill run, capped by a KJ Marshall layup, made it a 14-point game with 8:17 left
- Cottingham responded with a triple to make it 77-60
- Jackson Reid cut the lead to 13, but three Wilson free throws pushed the advantage back to 16
- Two Nixon free throws and a Cottingham layup made it 91-71 with 3:07 remaining
- The lead would not go below 17 the rest of the way

UP NEXT

- Wingate returns to action Dec. 31, hosting USC Aiken at 1 p.m.
- That is followed by a four-game SAC road trip
- WU travels to UVA Wise, Tusculum, Coker and Anderson from Jan. 2 through Jan. 15
- The first home game of 2022 is Wednesday, Jan. 19, when the 'Dogs host Lenoir-Rhyne at 7:30 p.m.