Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs claimed a share of the regular season league title Saturday afternoon, cruising to an 87-63 victory over UVA Wise in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate closes out the regular season at 21-7 overall and 16-4 in league play, while the Cavs fall to 10-18 overall and 6-14 in the SAC. The 'Dogs capture the regular season SAC title for the first time since the 2007-08 season. It is the first league championship for the Bulldogs since winning back-to-back SAC Tournament titles in 2012 and 2013. Wingate will be the number two seed in the SAC Tournament, opening play Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against Anderson in Rock Hill, S.C.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 44 percent from the field, going six-for-20 from three-point range (30 percent)
- UVA Wise shot 32 percent from the field, connecting on nine-of-34 from deep (26 percent)
- The 'Dogs went 25-for-30 at the free throw line; the Cavs were 16-for-21
- Wingate held a 47-34 rebounding advantage and 19-9 edge in second-chance points
- The Bulldogs outscored UVA Wise 32-14 in the paint

KEY BULLDOGS

- Donell Nixon had 25 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals, knocking down four triples
- Kendall Taylor added 20 points, 13 boards, five assists, a block and a steal on seven-of-11 shooting
- Josh Massey had 19 points and 10 rebounds, going seven-for-13 from the field and two-for-three from deep
- Tayor Bell contributed 13 points and five boards, going seven-for-seven at the line

FIRST HALF

- Threes from Massey and Nixon gave the 'Dogs an early 8-2 lead
- Another Massey triple with 13 minutes left pushed the lead to nine
- Brad Halvorson's layup at the midway point cut the lead to five at 17-12
- Wingate answered with a 14-0 run to take a 33-12 lead at the 5:18 mark
- Nixon had eight points in the flurry, capping it with three free throws
- Taylor's three-point play put the 'Dogs on top by 22
- UVA Wise closed the half on a 7-0 run, making it 44-30 on an Isaiah McAmis triple

SECOND HALF

- Wingate used an 8-0 run to push the lead back to 20, getting four points from Massey in the spurt
- A Joel Pettiford layup at the 12:25 mark made it 56-42
- Massey answered with a jumper, but a Lav Cvetkovic triple cut the lead to 12 with 10:41 to go
- A Nixon triple and Massey jumper sparked an 8-0 run that pushed the WU lead to 19 at the 7:27 mark
- Wingate used an 11-0 run to go on top by 27 points
- Nixon sparked it with back-to-back threes, with Bell adding four free throws
- UVA Wise got no closer than 24 the rest of the way

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Tuesday, facing Anderson in the SAC Quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m.
- The winner is onto the semifinals Thursday at 7:30 against the Catawba vs. Coker winner
- The SAC title game is slated for Friday at 7 p.m.
- Every game of the SAC Tournament will take place at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center