WISE — A second half offensive push from Wingate's Destin Clark and Jarren Cottingham gave way for a 89-77 Wingate win over the Cavaliers in the Prior Center on Saturday afternoon.

WHAT HAPPENED

After a hotly-contested first half including four three-point balls each from Luke Lawson and Cottingham, the Bulldogs (15-9, 10-5 SAC) took control at the 16:56 mark of the second half and never looked back. A 22-7 run for Wingate led by a Cottingham three-pointer put the Bulldogs ahead by a score of 69-51 and their lead continued to grow. The Bulldogs held their lead for the remainder of the contest, but not without a last-minute rally from UVA Wise to get within 10, 87-77. A foul drawn by Wingate's Donell Nixon II and two charity stripe tosses would solidify the final score of 89-77 at the buzzer.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Lawson led the Cavaliers with 24 points and made seven three-pointers.
• Bradley Dean hit one three in the contest, but snagged 23 points including nine shots from the field. Dean also added a team-high nine rebounds.
• The Cavaliers grabbed 30 points in the paint while Wingate grabbed 34 under the bucket.
• The Bulldogs outrebounded the Cavaliers by a 32-26 margin.
• The Bulldogs found success from the field, hitting 35-of-62 shots (56.5-percent) and 12-of-24 from beyond the arc (50-percent).
• The Cavaliers shot a solid 29-of-62 shots (46.8-percent) from the field and 10-of-25 from three-point range (40-percent).
• Wingate's Cottingham led the Bulldogs with 22 points, while teammate Destin Clark put up a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
• The game featured eight lead changes with seven of them coming from the first half of play.

UP NEXT

Next on the docket for UVA Wise is a matchup against Southwest Virginia foe Emory & Henry on Wednesday, Feb. 15 in Emory, Va. Tipoff is slated for 4 PM.