Mars Hill, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs drained 11 three-pointers and shot over 50 percent from the field in a fiery offensive display on Friday night in their season-opening 98-81 victory over Belmont Abbey College as part of the Tip-Off Challenge in NCAA Division II men's basketball action. The Bulldogs improve to 1-0 on the season, while the Crusaders drop to 0-1.
KEY STATS
- Belmont Abbey shot 57 percent from the field; Wingate shot 54 percent
- The 'Dogs were 11-of-26 (42 percent) from three-point range, while BAC was 10-for-22 (46 percent) from deep
- WU was 17-for-24 (71 percent) from the free throw line; the Crusaders were seven-of-15 (47 percent) from the charity stripe
- Wingate out-rebounded Belmont Abbey 37-26, out-scoring BAC 16-4 in second-chance points
- The Bulldogs had 20 assists on 35 made field goal attempts
- WU's bench outscored the Crusaders' 40-24
KEY BULLDOGS
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Destin Clark posted 19 points, five assists and four rebounds on nine-of-13 shooting
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Andreas Wilson also recorded 19 points, knocking down five three-pointers
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Donell Nixon chipped in 17 points, six assists and two steals
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Josh Massey added 15 points and five rebounds in his Bulldog debut
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Jarren Cottingham had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists
FIRST HALF
- The two sides traded baskets in the early going as the game was tied at six after three minutes
- A Mason Taylor three-pointer gave the Crusaders the one-possession lead at the first media timeout
- Massey's three-pointer gave Wingate a lead around the 13-minute mark, but BAC earned it right back with a three of their own
- Both teams continued battling it out, as the game remained tied at 20 halfway through the opening half
- Back-to-back threes from Cottingham and Massey capped an 11-3 Bulldog run, as WU took a 36-26 lead with five and a half minutes left in the half
- Wingate took advantage in getting to the free throw line, knocking down nine from the charity stripe in the final five minutes to pace their 49-38 lead after 20 minutes
SECOND HALF
- A Wilson three-pointer pushed the Bulldog lead to 17 points just four minutes into the second half
- A 13-2 Belmont Abbey run chipped the Bulldog lead down to just six points at the 12:40 mark
- Nixon and Wilson answered with back-to-back threes to double the lead two minutes later
- Wilson's fourth three-pointer of the opening 11 minutes of the second half pushed the Wingate lead back up to 15 points with nine minutes to go
- The 'Dogs' three-point barrage continued with triples from Nixon and
Sean Elmore to put Wingate up 84-63 with six and a half minutes to go
- It capped a 22-7 run for the Bulldogs over six minutes
- WU's lead got to as large as 22 points after a Wilson layup made the score 88-66 with 5:17 left
- The senior guard scored 16 points in the second half alone, as Wingate cruised to the finish line from there
UP NEXT
- The Bulldogs wrap up the Tip-Off Challenge tomorrow with a matchup with Converse at 5 p.m.
