Men's basketball rides winning streak into conference opener Friday

Chris Siers
Staff Writer

The Wingate University Men’s Basketball team was able to edge the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey College on Saturday Nov 28. Freshman guard Paidrick Matilus led the Bulldogs offensively with a career-high 27 points, including being five-of-nine threes.
Matilus took the Bulldogs out to an early 11-3 lead, which would be the highest lead for either team. The Crusaders battled back and tied up the game with an 8-0 run. At the end of the first half, Belmont Abbey held the advantage with a score of 33-28.
The second half was no different from the first. Both teams held advantages back and forth, going down to the wire with the Crusaders hitting a three with 28 seconds left giving them a 71-70 lead. With 8.4 seconds left, Matilus nailed a three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 73-71 advantage. Wingate would withstand a last push by the Crusaders and emerge with a thrilling 73-71 win.
Riding the momentum from the win against Belmont-Abbey, Wingate posted a come-from-behind road win against UNC Pembroke on Monday night. Sophomore guard Jaime Vaughn led the Bulldogs with 16 points in the win.
The first half proved a struggle for Wingate with the Bulldogs finding themselves down 40-36 at the end of the first half. The Bulldogs started the second half red hot with a 24 to six run giving the Bulldogs the lead for the final time of the night and an 82-76 victory. “The team played tough (Monday),” said sophomore guard Chase Smith. “We grew as a team and showed that we can win close games on the road.”
Wingate will begin the South Atlantic Conference season on Friday December 4, hosting Newberry College at 8 p.m. in Cuddy Arena.