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Men's Basketball

Fifth seed Wolves head to fourth seed Lenoir-Rhyne for SAC Tourney quarterfinals

NEWBERRY - Two of the South Atlantic Conference's tightest games of the season have taken place between the Newberry Wolves and the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. Unfortunately for those two teams - but fortunately for the fans - the two Lutheran rivals meet up again in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Wednesday night in Hickory, N.C.

WHO: No. 5 seed Newberry College at No. 4 seed Lenoir-Rhyne University
WHERE: Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Memorial Gymnasium in Hickory, N.C.
WHEN: Approximately 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2
RECORDS: Newberry is 17-11 overall and finished 12-10 in the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir-Rhyne is 19-8 overall and went 14-8 in SAC play.
LIVE STATS: http://statb.us/b/127422 
LIVE VIDEO: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/lr/ 
LIVE AUDIO: www.NewberryWolves.TV and live over the air in Newberry County on WKDK-AM 1240

SEASON BATTLES WITH THE BEARS

FIRST MEETING: Newberry 133, Lenoir-Rhyne 122 (OT) in Newberry

  • The first meeting between the Wolves and Bears was one for the ages.
    • Newberry led by 15 at halftime, but Lenoir-Rhyne battled back to force overtime.
    • The Wolves scored 28 points in the overtime, setting a Division II record for most poins in an overtime to win 133-122.
  • Newberry shot 50.5% from the field and 40% from the three point marker.
  • Brandon Taylor tied for the game high with 29 points going 8-of-12 from the field, 1-of-2 from three point land and 12-of-14 at the charity stripe while grabbing 10 boards to complete a double-double.
  • Gerald Evans notched 19 points going 6-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from behind the arc and 5-of-6 at the free throw line with four rebounds, 12 assists and five steals while only turning the ball over once.
  • Xavier Holmes was second on the team in scoring with 23 points and six rebounds.
  • The Bears shot 47.7% from the field and 86.2% at the free throw line.
  • Will Perry also tied game high 29 points while Keenan Palmore finished with 19 points.

SECOND MEETING: Lenoir-Rhyne 86, Newberry 83 in Hickory

  • The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears scored five points in the final 10 seconds to snatch an 86-83 victory over the Newberry Wolves.
  • Both teams made exactly 29 field goals in the game, but Lenoir-Rhyne drained 16 three-pointers to the Wolves' 14 - as well as 12 free throws to Newberry's 11 - to provide the three-point final margin.
  • For Newberry, Mason Spease was the leading scorer with 15 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting.
  • Xavier Hill scored 11 points and Gerald Evans scored 10 points.
  • Lenoir-Rhyne's Keenan Palmore scored 23 points and Will Perry netted 11.

HISTORY AS THE FIFTH SEED

  • This is Newberry's fifth appearance in the SAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed, and if history repeats itself, this should be an exciting encounter once again.
  • Two of those games were in Hickory against the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. Both of them were overtime wins for Newberry.
    • 2014 - at Lenoir-Rhyne - W 84-79 (OT)
    • 2006 - at Wingate - L 72-100
    • 2000 - at Lenoir-Rhyne - W 95-91 (2OT)
    • 1999 - at Carson-Newman - L 55-86
  • In the history of the SAC Tournament, the 4 vs. 5 matchup has the 4th seed winning 18 times and the 5th seed winning 6 times.

AGAINST THE BEARS IN THE TOURNEY

  • Newberry is 3-0 in the SAC Tournament against Lenoir-Rhyne.
    • 2014 - No. 5 Newberry at No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne - W 84-79 (OT)
    • 2012 - No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne at No. 5 Newberry - W 85-70
    • 2000 - No. 5 Newberry at No. 4at Lenoir-Rhyne - W 95-91 (2OT)

TRENDS HEADING INTO THE GAME

  • As close as the last game in Hickory was - with scores in the 80s - it was one of the lower scoring games for two of the top scoring teams in the nation.
    • Newberry ranks third nationally in scoring at 94.8 points per game.
    • Lenoir-Rhyne ranks eighth nationally in scoring at 91.3 points per game.
  • As prolific as Newberry's reputation for outside shooting has been, Lenoir-Rhyne actually outshoots the Wolves from three-point range.
    • Lenoir-Rhyne is tied for the national lead, averaging 12.5 made threes per game.
    • Newberry is sixth nationally at 11.5 three-pointers made per contest.
  • Newberry leads the nation in steals overall, with 291 steals in the regular season.
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