WINGATE, N.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team fell to the Wingate University Bulldogs 69-63 in South Atlantic Conference action on Wednesday night (Jan. 6).

It was a tale of two halves for the Cobras, as they struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 17.2 percent, scoring 13 points and finding themselves down 34-13 at the intermission.

The Navy and Gold continued to struggle in the early moments of the second half, falling behind 45-17 with 16:19 left in the game. However, the next 14 minutes would be all Cobras, with an Aubrey Daniel layup with 1:59 to go left Coker down 62-58 and capped off a 41-17 run.

A free throw by Wingate, a Donte Samuels converted layup and a made three-pointer by both teams left Coker down three, 66-63 with 37 seconds left. However, despite scoring 50 points in the last 20 minutes, the Coker comeback fell just short, with Wingate picking up the 69-63 home victory.

Samuels led all scorers with 23 points, all of which came in the second half. He also pulled down six rebounds, including five offensive rebounds. Jake Barrett finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jalal Abdul-Azeez chipped in 11 points and four steals in just 15 minutes off the bench.

The Cobras will be back in action on Saturday at 4 p.m. when they take on the visiting Mars Hill University Lions on a SAC matchup.