Mount Olive, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs closed out 2023 in dramatic fashion, prevailing 87-82 at the University of Mount Olive in NCAA Division II men's basketball action Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs win their fourth straight, improving to 8-3 on the season. The Trojans fall to 1-11 overall.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 37 percent from the field, going nine-for-32 from three-point range (28 percent)
- Mount Olive shot 35 percent from the field, going nine-for-38 from deep (24 percent)
- The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Trojans 53-47; UMO held a 13-12 edge in second-chance points
- Mount Olive scored 22 points off 20 WU turnovers; the 'Dogs scored 17 points off 17 UMO turnovers
- The Bulldogs had 20 assists on 28 field goals
- Wingate went 22-for-25 at the free throw line

KEY BULLDOGS

- Josh Massey had 20 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots
- Donell Nixon added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, knocking down five threes
- Kendall Taylor contributed 13 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two blocks
- Vontrez Robets had 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals, going four-for-five from the field
- Taylor Bell added 12 points, six boards, four assists and two steals
- Corbin Pack had seven points; Aaron Hall collected four points and three rebounds

FIRST HALF

- An Aaron Murphy layup gave Mount Olive a 13-6 lead nine minutes in
- Wingate scored the next seven, getting five points from Pack to tie it at 13 with seven minutes left
- A Shane Peterson triple with four minutes to go put the Trojans on top 20-15
- Triples from Massey and Nixon sparked an 8-0 run that put the Bulldogs on top 23-20 at the 1:55 mark
- Two Murphy free throws cut the lead to one at 23-22 heading to halftime

SECOND HALF

- A Kahlif Barnes triple two minutes in gave Mount Olive a 30-27 advantage
- Nixon answered with back-to-back threes to put the 'Dogs back on top by three
- A triple and a layup from Massey, along with a Taylor jumper gave WU a 40-32 lead
- Shane Peterson's jumper at the 12:33 mark cut the lead to two
- A Pack jumper and Jordan Miller three pushed the WU advantage back to seven at 47-40
- Two Hall free throws extended the lead to eight with nine minutes left
- A Redford Dunton triple pulled the Trojans within three at 49-46
- Taylor's jumper with 6:32 to go pushed the lead back to seven
- Another Peterson triple cut the lead back to three at 57-54 with 4:39 remaining
- Peterson's three a minute later pulled the Trojans to within one
- Murphy's three-point play with 49 seconds left gave Mount Olive a 61-60 lead
- A Ryan Roberts free throw with 20 seconds left put the Trojans on top by two
- Nixon missed a jumper with eight seconds left, but Bell got the rebound and got the tying layup with four seconds left
- Massey blocked a potential game-winning layup for the Trojans to send it to overtime

OVERTIME

- Murphy drilled a three on the opening possession, but Nixon answered with a three to tie it
- Taylor's jumper with three minutes to go gave the 'Dogs a 69-67 advantage
- UMO scored the next six, taking a 73-69 lead on a Josiah Watkins jumper with 1:45 to go
- Taylor answered with a jumper at the 1:20 mark to cut the lead to two
- Bell's steal gave it back to the Bulldogs with just under a minute to go
- Taylor missed a layup, but Roberts was there for the rebound and putback to tie it at 73
- The Trojans were unable to convert on the potential winner, sending it to a second overtime

SECOND OVERTIME

- Nixon buried a triple at the 3:05 mark to give Wingate a 79-75 advantage
- Massey added two free throws a minute later to extend the lead to five
- Trey Nelson's jumper with 52 seconds remaining made it 83-80
- Another steal from Bell, followed by a pair of free throws put WU on top by five with 20 seconds left
- Two more Bell free throws made it 87-80 with 10 seconds remaining

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Wednesday, traveling to Newberry for a 7:30 p.m. start
- The Bulldogs return home Saturday to host Tusculum at 4 p.m.