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WINGATE, N.C. - DeMario Mattox keyed a 19-4 second-half run with seven points as Wingate rallied for a 72-62 victory against previously unbeaten Northern Kentucky University in the OrthoCarolina Classic on Saturday. NKU (4-1) owned a 54-46 lead with 9:11 remaining in the game after Dustin Maguire made a 3-pointer, but Wingate (3-3) countered with a 19-4 spurt to take a 65-58 advantage. Mattox capped the run by hitting a short jumper with 1:48 remaining. NKU, which is ranked No. 5 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, committed 24 turnovers and made just 39.7 percent of its shots from the field. The Norse were also 6-for-13 from the free-throw line. “You can’t commit 24 turnovers on the road and expect to win, especially if you send the other team to the line 31 times,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “It should take us three games to get 24 turnovers. Wingate played very hard, and we did not match their intensity. I thought we were in good shape in the second half when we had the lead, but then we had several wide-open shots that didn’t fall. “You have to make those shots on the road. Wingate turned it up, and we did not respond by making wide-open shots.” Mattox led Wingate with 15 points and four assists. The Bulldogs were 24-for-31 at the free-throw line and finished with a 32-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Kenny Villines added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Wingate, which is now 2-0 all-time against NKU. David Johnson scored 13 points for the Bulldogs. Leslie Malone scored 11 points for NKU, while teammates Scott Bibbins and Dennis Gagai each added 10. Maguire and Tanner Jacobs scored nine points apiece for the Norse, who won the rebounding battle by a 41-39 margin. NKU will meet unbeaten Catawba (N.C.) Sunday at 2 p.m. Catawba is 5-0 and ranked 23rd nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. The Indians posted an 87-70 win over Bowie State in the first OrthoCarolina Classic game Saturday. |
