WINGATE, N.C. - The Wingate University men's basketball team ended the game on a 17-3 run to rally from 13 points behind and defeat Lander University 69-64 in NCAA Division II action Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena.
The Bulldogs improve to 2-3 on the season, while the Lander Bearcats fall to 2-1.
Wingate freshman guard Chase Smith poured in 17 points while hitting five-of-seven from beyond the arc to lead the Bulldogs. With the score tied at 64 with 15 seconds remaining, Smith's three-pointer from the corner gave Wingate the lead for good.
Bulldog senior guard/forward DeMario Mattox added 17 points, four assists and five steals for the hosts, while redshirt sophomore forward/guard Ben Davis chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Lander senior guard Houston Wright led the Bearcats with 12 points. LU junior forward Curtis Milner added 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Lander had seven different players score at least six points.
A jumper from Mattox gave the Bulldogs a 19-12 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Lander scored the next five points to cut the lead to two, capped by a layup from senior guard Ford Lawrence.
Wingate stretched the lead back to seven on a jumper from Mattox at the 5:04 mark. Lander responded with a 11-3 run to end the half with a 28-27 lead. Milner started the run with a jumper, followed by a pair of free throws, a lay-up and another jumper to cut the Wingate lead to two (thanks to his personal 8-0 flurry). Ford drained a three with 35 seconds remaining in the half to give the Bearcats the one-point lead.
Lander outscored the Bulldogs 18-6 in the opening nine minutes of the second half to take a 46-33 lead. The Bearcats hit four three-pointers in the opening burst; junior guard Dane Sparrow hit two of the triples for the visitors.
Wingate responded with an 11-4 run to cut the lead to six with 8:48 remaining. Davis had five points in the quick spurt, including a three-pointer that made it 50-44. A three-pointer from Ford gave Lander a 58-48 advantage with 7:11 remaining. A pair of jumpers from the Bulldogs cut the lead to six, Wright had the answer for Lander by drilling a three at the 5:22 mark to make it 61-52.
Mattox hit three free throws to cut the lead to six, followed by a jumper from Davis to make it 61-57. Davis stole the ensuing inbounds pass; his missed lay-up was tipped in by Mattox to make it a two-point game. After another Lander turnover, Smith drained a three to give Wingate the lead with three minutes remaining, capping a 10-0 flurry that took a shade over two minutes.
A layup and a free throw from freshman guard Christopher Carlton gave Lander a two-point lead with two minutes to go. Smith came up with a steal, and found Mattox ahead for a layup to tie the game with 56 seconds left. The Bulldogs got the ball back with the score tied and senior guard Rosco Turner found Smith open in the corner for his fifth three-pointer of the game to give Wingate the lead for good.
Wingate shot 39.1 percent from the field in the game, while hitting eight-of-19 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs converted 21 Lander turnovers into 19 points. Lander shot 52.1 percent from the field, while hitting 10-of-20 from three-point range with Wright, Lawrence, Sparrow and Jacob Mochoskay hitting two apiece. Wingate held a 35-32 edge in rebounding and an 18-7 advantage in second-chance points.
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, when they host number six Northern Kentucky University in the 2008 OrthoCarolina Classic. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. Wingate will take on Bowie State University Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. Lander is back in action Monday, Dec. 1, hosting Queens University of Charlotte at 7 p.m.
