Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs had four players in double figures, as they notched an 83-74 victory over the visiting Eagles of Carson-Newman College in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs improve to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in the SAC, while the Eagles fall to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the SAC.
Junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had 18 points and six rebounds to lead the Wingate attack. Senior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) added 16 points and four assists, while junior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) had 15 points. Sophomore forward Jeffrey Parker (Madison, N.C.) notched his first career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Sophomore guard Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) had a game-high 24 points to lead the Carson-Newman attack, hitting five-of-nine shots from three-point range. Freshman guard Jared Johnson (Springfield, Mass.) and sophomore forward Antoine Davis (Rustburg, Va.) added 12 points each for the Eagles.
Matilus knocked down a three, while adding a three-point play, to put the Bulldogs on top 19-12 midway through the first half. The Eagles answered with a 13-4 run, taking a 25-23 lead on a jumper from freshman forward Kennedy Eubanks (Pendleton, S.C.) at the 6:40 mark. Wingate battled back, taking a four-point lead on back-to-back jumpers from Turner with under three minutes remaining. Carson-Newman tied things on a dunk from Eubanks, but a Matilus jumper gave the 'Dogs a two-point lead at halftime.
A triple and two free throws from Matilus gave the 'Dogs a 49-42 advantage seven minutes into the second half. The Eagles trimmed the lead to five on a pair of free throws from Davis with 11:18 remaining. A Parker dunk and Turner jumper gave Wingate a 10-point advantage at the 8:15 mark. A pair of free throws from Sanders got Carson-Newman back within six, but a jumper from Vaughn and free throws from Turner gave the Bulldogs a 62-51 lead with under seven minutes to go.
Sanders buried a three and knocked down another jumper to cut the C-N deficit to three with four minutes remaining. Vaughn knocked down back-to-back jumpers, while Turner added a three-point play to cap a 7-0 Wingate run to push the lead to 10 at the 2:11 mark. Sanders added another three to trim the lead to five with 1:48 to go. Bulldog junior guard Ethan Kincaid
(Morganton, N.C.) answered with a steal and two free throws, while free throws from Parker and Vaughn pushed the lead to nine with less than 30 seconds to go. The Eagles would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Wingate shot 44 percent from the field, hitting five-of-19 from three-point range (26.3 percent). The 'Dogs hit 26-of-30 free throws on the night (86.7 percent). The Eagles shot 42 percent from the field, knocking down nine-of-28 from beyond the arc (32.1 percent). The Bulldogs dominated the glass, holding a 45-26 rebounding advantage.
Wingate returns to action Thursday, December 15, hosting Winston-Salem State University at 7 p.m. The Eagles host Tennessee Wesleyan College Wednesday at 7 p.m.
