Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior guard Jarren Cottingham scored 25 of his season-high 34 points in the second half Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs outscored Lenoir-Rhyne University 54-35 in the final 20 minutes in an 83-75 victory in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate has won six of its last seven, improving to 14-4 overall and 10-4 in the SAC. The Bears fall to 4-13 overall and 3-11 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 52 percent from the field; LR shot 49 percent
- The Bears hit 13-of-27 threes; the 'Dogs went 10-for-28 from deep
- The Bulldogs held a 36-29 rebounding advantage and 5-4 edge in second-chance points
- Wingate shot 61 percent from the field in the second half, hitting six-of-11 triples
- WU also turned 12 second-half LR turnovers into 15 points
- The 'Dogs piled up 20 assists on 29 field goals
- Wingate held a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint
- LR held a slim 10-9 advantage in steals
 
KEY BULLDOGS

- Cottingham had 34 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists
- He went 12-for-22 from the field and nine-for-13 at the free throw line
- Donell Nixon added 18 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal on five-of-six shooting
- Sean Elmore knocked down four triples, contributing 12 points, four boards and three assists
- Andreas Wilson added eight points, two rebounds and two assists
- Destin Clark registered four points, 10 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal

NOTES

- Wingate moves to 27-35 all-time against LR
- The 'Dogs are 17-14 against the Bears in Cuddy Arena
- The 14-4 start is the best start since opening the 2015-16 campaign at 15-4
- Third straight game WU has outscored an opponent by at least 15 in a half
- Third career 30-point game for Cottingham, first since Dec. 2, 2020 against UVA Wise
- 32nd time Cottingham has scored over 20 points in his career; ninth this season
- He has 58 points in his two games against the Bears this season
- Second-most points for Nixon this season; eighth straight game with at least four assists
- 14th double-digit scoring effort for Elmore; 10th time hitting at least three triples in a game
- Fourth time this season Clark has had double-digit rebounds   

FIRST HALF

- A Cooper Fowler three gave the Bears a 14-4 lead less than eight minutes in
- A Cottingham layup and Wilson triple cut the lead in half
- Kevin Kangu knocked down a three with 8:48 to go to put LR on top 24-11
- WU scored the next seven, getting two Cottingham layups and a Wilson bucket to cut the lead to six
- Lenoir-Rhyne answered with a 10-0 run, taking a 34-18 lead on Marcus Metcalf's layup at the 5:23 mark
- Back-to-back Nixon threes pulled the 'Dogs back within 10
- Two Fowler free throws put the Bears on top by 13 with 33 seconds left
- Clark's layup in the final seconds made it 40-29 at halftime

SECOND HALF

- Wingate came out on fire in the second half, outscoring LR 16-3 in the opening six minutes
- Cottingham had two layups in the opening minute to trim the lead to seven
- Nixon and Cottingham drilled back-to-back triples to make it a two-point game
- Taylor's dunk tied it, while a Cottingham layup at the 14:33 mark capped the spurt to give WU a 45-43 lead
- Nas Tyson answered with a three to put the Bears back on top by one
- Cottingham answered with a layup and two free throws to put the 'Dogs on top for good with 13 minutes left
- Elmore's triple extended the lead to six, but a Salle Wilson made it 55-50 with 11:44 to go
- WU scored the next eight, getting two Elmore triples to take a 13-point lead with nine minutes left
- Two Kangu free throws pulled the Bears within eight at 67-59 with six minutes remaining
- Wingate answered with a 9-1 run, with seven of the points coming from Cottingham to go up 76-60
- A Fowler triple and Tyson layup pulled the Bears back within five with under a minute left
- Nixon and Cottingham answered with four free throws to make it 82-73 with 22 seconds to go

UP NEXT

- Wingate has two more home games in the next week
- The 'Dogs host Carson-Newman Saturday at 4 p.m.
- WU welcomes Coker to Cuddy Arena next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.