Eddie Lewis scored 15 of his game-high 18 points in the second half and Wingate University held Tusculum College without a field goal for nearly 9 1/2 minutes in the second half in a 69-46 victory Saturday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference men's basketball game from Pioneer Arena.

Lewis was 7-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, and the Bulldogs (14-6, 10-2 SAC) outscored the Pioneers by a 25-6 margin over a span of 12 minutes of the second half to earn the win and remain tied atop the SAC standings.

Nick Spinks led the Pioneers (5-15, 3-9 SAC) with 12 points and Addison Flynn added nine points and five rebounds, but Tusculum shot 34 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers in the loss.

Paidrick Matilus had the hot hand for the Bulldogs in the first half, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the opening half to help Wingate to a 31-21 lead. Lewis took over in the second half, going 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from long range to account for his 15 points after intermission.

Wingate never trailed in the contest, though the game was tied early at 2-2, 4-4 and 7-7 following a three-pointer by Flynn with 13:40 left in the first half. Wingate led 12-11 following two free throws by Flynn with 11:31 left in the half, but the Bulldogs went on a 13-0 run that was highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers by Matilus. Lewis capped the run with a trey of his own with 4:15 to go which gave the Bulldogs a 25-11 advantage.

The Pioneers carved the deficit back down to seven points at 28-21 when Flynn hit two free throws with a minute left in the half, but Wingate's Odell Turner sank a three-pointer with two seconds on the clock to send the Bulldogs to the break with a 31-21 lead.

Matilus, who was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the first half, was the only player on either team to reach double figures in scoring. Flynn led the Pioneers with seven points and Darius Carter added six points in 14 minutes off the bench. Wingate shot 41.4 percent (12-for-29) from the field in the half while holding Tusculum to 34.8 percent (8-for-23).

Both teams came out hot in the second half, as Tusculum made its first six field-goal attempts and Wingate opened by going 5-for-8. The Pioneers pulled within four at 33-29 on back-to-back baskets by Spinks, but the Bulldogs were able to weather the early surge and hold onto a 44-35 lead with 12:55 left.

From there, it was all Wingate as the Bulldogs went on a 19-3 run over the next nine minutes to go on top 63-38 with 3:10 to go. A layup by Spinks was the only basket for the Pioneers until the final minute, when Matt Shown hit a layup with 38 seconds left and Ben Arnold drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer after the Bulldogs had taken their largest lead of the game at 69-41.

Keith Jumper finished with seven points and three steals and shared the team lead in rebounds with Flynn at five for the Pioneers, and Carter finished the afternoon with seven points and a pair of steals. Turner tallied nine points and a team-high eight boards for the Bulldogs, Xavier Griffin had eight points off the bench and Ethan Kincaid logged seven points, four rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes of playing time.

Tusculum will face the other SAC co-leader on Wednesday night with a trip to Anderson. Tipoff from the Abney Athletic Center is scheduled for 8 p.m.