Mars Hill, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs scored 49 points in the second half Saturday evening, securing the 77-71 victory over Converse University in the Tip-Off Challenge at Mars Hill University. The Bulldogs improve to 2-0 overall, while the Valkyries drop to 0-2.

KEY STATS
 
- Wingate shot 45 percent from the field; Converse made 44 percent of its attempts
- The Bulldogs hit 37 percent of their threes; the Valkyries were 31 percent from deep
- WU was 22-for-28 (79 percent) from the free throw line; CU was four-of-seven (57 percent)
- Converse out-rebounded Wingate 40-31
- The Bulldogs scored 18 points off 15 Valkyrie turnovers
- CU had 11 points off 11 WU turnovers
- Wingate's bench outscored Converse's 30-15
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Donell Nixon led the 'Dogs with 17 points on five-of-seven shooting with four assists
- Andreas Wilson added 16 points with three three-pointers
- Destin Clark chipped in 12 points and seven boards
- Jarren Cottingham was the fourth Bulldog to score in double figures with 10 points
- Josh Massey recorded eight points and four rebounds off the bench
 
FIRST HALF
 
- Converse scored the opening two baskets before Wingate responded with five unanswered
- Back-to-back three-pointers gave the Valkyries a 10-5 lead with under 15 minutes left in the half
- An Aaron Porcil layup extended the CU lead to seven at the 11-minute mark
- Wilson's three-pointer capped a 9-0 Wingate that turned five-point deficit into a four-point lead
- Nixon's jumper with 1:55 to go gave WU its largest lead at 28-22
- A Converse three cut the deficit in half, as the Bulldogs took a 28-25 lead into the break
 
SECOND HALF
 
- Clark opened the second half scoring nearly 90 seconds in
- The Valkyries cut their deficit to three, but a 13-3 run capped by a Sasha Letino layup at the 14:22 mark stretched the lead to 13
- Converse worked to cut into the lead, as WU led 50-42 at the under-12 timeout
- Wilson continued his second-half success from Friday, scoring nine straight points for the Bulldogs to take a 61-50 lead
- The Valkyries cut the deficit to under 10, but a Cottingham and-one returned the double-digit lead at the 3:19 mark
- Converse rattled off six unanswered points, trailing 68-61 at the 1:49 mark
- Clark's made jumper gave the 'Dogs some breathing room with 1:18 to go
- Jay Mitchell answered with a three to return the deficit to six with 63 seconds to go
- Wingate answered Mitchell baskets with free throws down the stretch, icing the game away late
 
UP NEXT
 
- The 'Dogs hit the road on Saturday, traveling to Lander for a 3:30 p.m. tip