Rock Hill, S.C.----The second-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs are onto the SAC Tournament semifinals after taking down seventh-seeded Anderson University 79-68 in the quarterfinals of the 2024 South Atlantic Conference men's basketball tournament Tuesday night. The Bulldogs improve to 22-7 overall, while the Trojans fall to 15-14 on the season. Wingate advances to the SAC Tournament semifinals Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Rock Hill.

KEY STATS

- Wingate shot 46 percent from the field, going four-for-11 from three-point range (36 percent)
- Anderson shot 49 percent from the field, connecting on just two-of-14 from deep (14 percent)
- The 'Dogs went 31-for-37 at the free throw line; the Trojans were six-for-nine
- AU held a 34-29 rebounding advantage and 12-2 edge in second-chance points
- The Bulldogs scored 20 points off 15 Anderson turnovers

KEY BULLDOGS

- Donell Nixon had 23 points, three rebounds and two assists, going five-for-eight from the field and 11-for-12 at the line
- Kendall Taylor added 22 points, eight boards and two assists, going 10-for-12 at the line
- Josh Massey contributed 13 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block
- Corbin Pack had nine points, knocking down a pair of triples
- Aaron Hall added seven points, two boards and a steal

FIRST HALF

- Garrett Denbow's layup gave Anderson an early 6-2 lead
- WU scored the next nine, getting five points from Massey while a Hall dunk capped it to make it 11-6
- A Mack Burgett three-point play cut the lead to two at the 11:56 mark
- Two Nixon jumpers and a Pack triple put the 'Dogs on top 20-13 with 8:47 to go
- Denbow's layup with six minutes remaining pulled the Trojans within three
- Hall's dunk and two Taylor free throws gave Wingate a 27-20 advantage at the 4:33 mark
- A Nixon three with three minutes left pushed the lead to eight
- Taylor added a jumper and a free throw to make it 35-26
- Austin Webb's layup in the final minute made it 35-28 at halftime

SECOND HALF

- Layups from Nixon and Taylor put the Bulldogs on top 39-28 in the opening minutes of the second half
- Denbow's three-point play cut the lead to six at the 16:38 mark
- Nixon buried a three with 14:31 to go to give Wingate a 44-35 advantage
- Denbow's jumper a 90 seconds later trimmed the lead to four
- Dallas Jones knocked down a three to pull AU within two at 47-45
- Wingate scored the next 10 to take a 57-45 lead with nine minutes left
- Pack had a triple and three-point play in the flurry; a Vontrez Roberts bucket capped it
- Cole Middleton's layup with 7:38 remaining cut the lead back to seven
- Taylor responded with a jumper to make it 61-52
- Denbow's layup pulled the Trojans back within six at the 5:37 mark
- Free throws from Taylor and Taylor Bell made it 67-58 with 3:20 left
- Two Nixon free throws, along with a Roberts free throw pushed the lead to 10 at the 2:18 mark
- Luke Denbow's layup pulled the Trojans back within six, but two more Taylor free throws made it 72-64
- Four more Nixon free throws pushed the advantage to nine with 23 seconds left
- A pair of Massey free throws with seven seconds to go made it 79-68

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the SAC Tourney semifinals
- The Bulldogs will face the winner of Wednesday's Catawba vs. Coker contest
- The winner of Thursday's semifinal game is onto the SAC title game Friday at 7 p.m.
- Every game of the SAC Tournament will take place at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center