Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior Kendall Taylor poured in a career-high 39 points Saturday evening, including the game-winning free throws in the final second of overtime, leading the Bulldogs to a thrilling 91-90 victory over Anderson University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. The 'Dogs have won six of their last seven, moving to 20-6 overall and 15-3 in the SAC. The victory puts Wingate alone at the top of the league standings entering the final week of the regular season. The Bulldogs are now 3-0 in overtime games this season and 9-1 in games decided by four or less points. Wingate's two wins against Anderson this season have come by a combined two points.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 48 percent from the field, going seven-for-22 from three-point range (32 percent)
- Anderson shot 48 percent from the field, connecting on seven-of-19 from deep (37 percent)
- The 'Dogs were 24-for-27 at the free throw line; the Trojans went 17-for-27
- Anderson held a 43-31 rebounding advantage; each team had 11 second-chance points
- The Bulldogs scored 16 points off 14 AU turnovers
- The contest featured 14 ties and 17 lead changes with no team leading by more than six

KEY BULLDOGS

- Taylor had 39 points, eight rebounds and five assists
- He was 11-for-19 from the field, four-for-six from deep and 13-for-13 at the free throw line
- The 39 points are the most by a Bulldog in the Brian Good era
- The previous high was 38, scored by Jarren Cottingham in January of 2020
- Josh Massey added 19 points and eight boards, going eight-for-13 from the field
- Donell Nixon had 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds, playing all 45 minutes
- Corbin Pack contributed 12 points, two rebounds and an assist
- Taylor Bell added eight points on the night

FIRST HALF

- A Bell layup and a pair of Massey buckets gave Wingate a 12-7 lead at the 13:45 mark
- An Andre Wright triple a minute later cut the lead to two
- Taylor's layup at the midway point made it 20-16
- An Austin Webb layup put the Trojans on top 23-20 at the 8:20 mark
- WU answered with an 8-0 run, getting a Nixon three-point play and Massey triple to make it 28-23
- A Garrett Denbow triple with 4:28 to go tied it at 28
- Two Cole Middleton free throws gave the Trojans a three-point cushion
- Taylor's three with two minutes left put the 'Dogs back on top 34-33
- Two Mack Burgett free throws with 43 seconds remaining gave AU a three-point lead
- Nixon answered with two free throws to cut the lead to one at halftime at 37-36

SECOND HALF

- Burgett's layup gave the Trojans a three-point lead early in the second half
- Taylor buried a three to tie it, while Massey's jumper gave WU a 45-43 lead with 15:20 to go
- Back-to-back threes from Webb gave Anderson a 55-49 advantage
- Taylor answered with a triple, but another Denbow three pushed the lead back to six
- A Pack jumper and two Taylor free throws tied it at 62 at the 8:54 mark
- Two more Taylor free throws put the 'Dogs back on top
- Another triple from Webb gave the Trojans a 66-64 lead with 7:38 to go
- Massey answered with back-to-back buckets to give the lead back to the Bulldogs
- A Middleton three at the 5:18 mark gave Anderson a 73-71 advantage
- Pack answered with a three, while a Taylor triple gave Wingate a 77-73 lead
- Denbow's jumper cut the lead back to two with three minutes remaining
- Two Bell free throws, along with two Nixon free throws made it 81-75 with 1:49 to go
- Layups from Dallas Jones and Middleton cut the lead to two with a minute left
- Middleton's dunk with 27 seconds left tied it at 81
- Wingate was unable to get a shot off on the final possession, sending it to overtime

OVERTIME

- Massey won the opening tip, directing it straight to Bell who gave WU a quick lead with a layup
- Anderson scored the next seven, taking an 88-83 lead on a Burgett layup with 2:08 remaining
- Taylor knocked down four free throws over the next 40 seconds to cut the lead to one
- Wright answered with two free throws to put AU on top 90-87 with a minute left
- Nixon responded with a layup to pull the 'Dogs back within a point
- The Trojans turned it over with 31 seconds left, giving it back to Wingate
- Pack missed a three, but Massey grabbed the rebound
- Wingate called time out with six seconds left
- Taylor got it and went towards the left baseline, then was fouled with 0.5 seconds left
- He knocked down his 12th and 13th free throws of the day to give WU a 91-90 victory

UP NEXT

- Wingate is at Lenoir-Rhyne Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
- The 'Dogs close out the regular season Saturday, hosting UVA Wise at 4 p.m.
- One victory this week would guarantee at least a share of the regular season SAC title
- Two wins would give the Bulldogs an outright championship