Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs used an emphatic 20-2 second half run Wednesday night to turn a 10-point deficit into an eight-point lead, rallying for an 81-77 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 15-5 overall and 10-2 in the SAC, while the Bears fall to 10-10 overall and 5-7 in league play. The victory puts the Bulldogs alone atop the league standings at 10-2.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 52 percent from the field, going seven-for-18 from three-point range (39 percent)
- LR shot 46 percent from the field, connecting on eight-of-20 shots from deep (40 percent)
- The Bears held a 32-28 rebounding advantage and 11-5 edge in second-chance points
- The Bulldogs scored 14 points off eight LR turnovers
- The 'Dogs held an 11-2 advantage in fast-break points
- Lenoir-Rhyne held the lead for nearly 35 minutes; Wingate led for 4:17 on the night
- The Bears hit eight of their first 13 threes, then missed their final seven
- Wingate went 28-for-32 at the free throw line; LR went 13-for-16

KEY BULLDOGS

- Kendall Taylor had 28 points and eight rebounds, going 10-for-13 from the field and seven-for-nine at the line
- Donell Nixon added 27 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals, going seven-for-eight from the field and five-for-six from deep
- The duo combined to go 17-for-21 from the field, six-for-eight from deep and 15-for-18 at the line
- Eighth game with at least 20 points for Nixon this season; sixth for Taylor
- Josh Massey had 12 points, four boards and three assists
- Taylor Bell had six points with Vontrez Roberts adding four points and three rebounds

FIRST HALF

- A Jaheim Taylor layup five minutes in gave LR a 9-5 lead
- A Nixon triple and Massey dunk gave the 'Dogs a 12-11 lead at the 13:34 mark
- A Jalen Miller triple at the midway point put the Bears back on top 18-15
- Taylor's jumper trimmed the lead to one with 7:11 remaining
- Three Tim Steele triples helped Lenoir-Rhyne take a 31-21 lead at the 4:07 mark
- Three Nixon free throws cut it to seven, but a Tay Smith three made it 36-26
- Taylor's layup with two minutes left pulled the Bulldogs back within six
- Nas Tyson made it 38-30 with a pair of free throws
- A Roberts jumper and Nixon triple cut the lead to three with 10 seconds left
- Tyson's jumper right before the buzzer made it 40-35

SECOND HALF

- Tyson's jumper two minutes in pushed the LR lead back to nine
- Taylor's jumper at the 15:16 mark cut the lead to five at 48-43
- Layups from Nixon and Taylor made it a one-point game with 13 minutes left
- Jalen Miller answered with a three to put the Bears on top 52-48
- Massey's jumper at the 10:48 mark cut the lead back to two
- LR scored the next nine, taking a 65-54 advantage on Tyson's three with 9:08 to go
- Three Taylor free throws cut the lead to eight, but Steele's layup with 6:24 left made it 67-57
- Wingate answered with the 20-2 run over the next five minutes to take an eight-point lead
- A Taylor jumper and Massey three started the spurt, while two Taylor free throws made it 67-65
- Two Jaquias Franklin free throws put LR on top by four with 4:30 remaining
- Massey cut it back to two with a jumper, while Nixon's corner three at the 3:35 mark put WU on top by one
- Nixon added a layup, while Taylor's steal and layup made it 74-69 with 2:24 left
- Taylor capped the flurry with a triple at the 1:19 mark to make it 77-69
- Tyson's jumper with 33 seconds left cut the lead to four
- Jordan Miller knocked down two free throws with 29 seconds left to make it 79-73
- Sam Martin's layup cut it back to four, but two Nixon free throws pushed it back to six
- The Bears got no closer than four the rest of the way

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, traveling to Emory & Henry for a 4 p.m. start
- The Bulldogs return home next Wednesday, hosting Coker at 7:30 p.m.