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Wingate men's basketball swats past SAPC
November 25, 2006 WINGATE, N.C.—Wingate University used its size advantage Saturday, by out rebounding smaller St. Andrews Presbyterian College 47-25 and converting on high-percentage shots all day en route to an 87-67 NCAA Division II men’s basketball victory in Cuddy Arena on the Wingate campus. The Bulldogs, who received seven votes in the NABC Preseason national poll, improved to 2-1 overall while the Knights maintain a .500 ledger at 2-2. The number one shot-blocking team in the NCAA Division II last season, Wingate treated the home crowd to 11 blocked shots Saturday including four in a 53 second span early in the first half to disrupt the Knights offense all day.
Wingate maintained a double-digit lead for the complete second half coasting to the 20-point victory after finishing the contest shooting at a 57.4% clip (31-of-54). Junior reserve Greg Wenger (Monroe, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with a career-high 15 points while classmate Sean Barnette (Rock Hill, S.C.) tallied 14 to go along with his game-high seven assists. Grier added 11 points to his five swats. Sophomore Sam Carlisle (Raleigh, N.C.) was the fifth Wingate player in double digits with 11 points. Grier and Kirkland both grabbed seven caroms while Carlisle pulled down six. Junior Taiwon Grooms (Landover, Md.) had a team-high 13 points to lead 13 Knight Scorers. Grooms also had four rebounds. Sophomore Keith Josey (Suffolk, Va.) dished out a team-high four assists and made a team-high two rejections. Charlotte, N.C., junior natives Jeff Worley and Marcus Hoke both scored season-highs of 10 points apiece. In addition Hoke had four boards, two assists, and one steal. Nearby freshmen products Justin Brauda (Monroe, N.C.) and Stuart Short (Matthews, N.C.) had six and five points, respectively, at for SAPC. Each team hit five three-pointers in the contest including a team-high two treys from both Hoke (SA) and Barnette (WU).The Knights visit CVAC foe Mount Olive College Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs host Anderson (S.C.) University Monday night at 7 p.m. |
Junior Bryan Grier (Charlotte, N.C.), the 2005/06 national leader in blocked shots, scored the first two baskets of the contest to give WU the lead for the whole game. Wingate built a big advantage in the first half by drilling 19-of-31 (61.3-percent) shot attempts in the first half. Senior Shaun Kirkland (Allendale, S.C.) was a perfect 5-for-5 in the opening frame scoring 11 of his 14 points in the first 20 minutes to lead the Bulldogs into the locker room with commanding 49-30 lead.