Saturday, January 26, 2008

 

WINGATE EDGES TUSCULUM MEN, 81-77

 

Jordan Lear                WINGATE, N.C. --- Sean Barnette recorded 24 points and eight rebounds to lead the Wingate University men’s basketball team to an 81-77 win over Tusculum College Saturday afternoon at Cuddy Arena.  The Bulldogs (14-4, 5-1 in South Atlantic Conference) have won five straight games, while the Pioneers fall to 8-10 overall (2-4 SAC).

 

                Tusculum’s Jordan Lear (Zanesville, Ohio) led all scorers with 27 points, while sophomore Jimmy Boone (Greeneville, Tenn.) finished with 19 points, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three-point territory.  Sophomore Kyle Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) finished with 12 points, while junior Ryan Troutman (Mt. Washington, Ky.) added 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

 

                Brandon Plummer (Norfolk, Va.) scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including three 3-pointers, while DeMario Mattox (Rocky Mount, Va.) accounted for 14 points and six assists for the Bulldogs.  Bryan Grier added seven points, six rebounds and five blocked shots.

 

                Wingate jumped out to a 10-2 advantage to start the game and later led 19-12.  The Pioneers responded with a 15-3 spurt, including six points each by Lear and Boone as TC led 27-22 with 8:04 remaining before halftime.

 

                The lead would change hands four more times before the Pioneers took a 40-37 lead at the intermission.

 

                In the second half, the lead continued to swap hands, including five ties.  With Wingate leading 52-49, Boone and Moore posted back-to-back three-pointers, giving Tusculum a 55-52 advantage with 14:50 remaining in the game.

 

                Wingate answered with 11 unanswered points, including a slam dunk by Barnette as the Bulldogs led 65-57 with 10 minutes left in the contest.

 

                Tusculum would cut the deficit to five (69-64) following a three-pointer by Moore at the 7:27 mark.  But Plummer responded with a trey 17 second later and a pair of Mattox free throws gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the day at 76-66 with four minutes remaining.

 

                The Pioneers mounted one final charge as Tusculum went on an 11-3 run and Robert Troutman’s (Mt. Washington, Ky.)  tip-in with six seconds left moved TC within two points (79-77).  But that’s as close as Tusculum would get as Mattox made his two free throws with four seconds on the clock to seal the win.

 

                Both teams will be at home on Wednesday as Tusculum hosts Mars Hill, while Wingate welcomes Lenoir-Rhyne.  Both games will start at 8 p.m.

 

- TC -