Wingate steals season finale versus Lions

WINGATE, N.C. - The Mars Hill men's basketball team (7-19, 5-19 SAC) was defeated by Wingate (12-14, 10-13 SAC) by a score of 79-76 Saturday afternoon in their season finale.

After trailing a majority of the contest, Wingate tied the game at 74 with 1:11 remaining and took the lead, 76-74, just moments later. With under 30 seconds to play, Kory Davis drew a foul and hit both free throws to tie the game at 76 with 27 seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs, with their next possession, ran the clock down to just four seconds before Kendall Taylor hit the game-winning three, completing their comeback.

Mars Hill led 42-33 after the first 20 minutes, shooting nearly 70 percent from the floor and hitting 7-of-10 threes in the half. Kadyn Dawkins led the team with 12 points followed by seven from Dinari Boykin. Boykin and Daniel Mayfield led the team with three rebounds apiece while Kendall Davis led the Lions with three assists.

In the second half, Kory Davis led the squad with 11 points and two assists while Mayfield added 10 points and a team-high four rebounds. Dawkins netted eight points in the half and pulled down three rebounds.

Taylor led all players with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, nearly completing the triple-double.

Dawkins led the Lions with 20 points in the season finale while Kory Davis added 14 points. Mayfield ended the night with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Mars Hill shot 53 percent from the floor and hit eight threes on the day.