Comeback Bid Falls Short for Eagles at Wingate, 66-65

WINGATE, N.C. — A furious second-half rally by the Carson-Newman men’s basketball team came up short at Wingate on Saturday afternoon, as the Eagles fell to the Bulldogs, 66-65, in South Atlantic Conference action at Cuddy Arena.

The Eagles trailed by 13 points midway through the second half before mounting a comeback to pull to within one on a Tray Okoth (Richmond, Va.) jumper with 1:39 remaining. However, C-N was unable tie or take the lead.

With the loss, C-N ends regular season play at 10-17 overall and 5-11 in the conference. Wingate improves to 14-13 on the season and 7-9 in SAC play.

Junior guard Erwin Staten (Huntsville, Ala.) netted 12 points to lead four Eagles in double figures. Sophomore Quinche Dowdell (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) tossed in 11 points, while Okoth and senior Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) added 10 points apiece in the loss.

Senior guard Larry Staley (Charlotte, N.C.) poured in a game-high 16 points to pace Wingate. David Johnson (Durham, N.C.) pitched in 13 points, while Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) and Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) pitched in 10 points each for the Bulldogs.

The Eagles trailed 31-29 at the half after Wingate’s Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) drilled a jumper with 24 seconds remaining.

C-N regained the lead early in the second half, as senior forward Darron Maxtion (Huntsville, Ala.) sank a jumper at the 17:03 mark to give the Eagles a 36-35 advantage.

But a pair of Staley baskets sparked a 20-6 Wingate run that was capped off by a Jesse Jackson (Fayetteville, N.C.) jumper with 11:06 left that gave the Bulldogs a 55-42 cushion.

C-N then went on a 19-7 run to trim Wingate’s lead to 62-61, but the Bulldogs held off the Eagles in the closing seconds.

The Eagles will return to action on Wednesday in the first round of the SAC Tournament. The conference office will release official pairings on Sunday afternoon.