JOHNSON CITY, TENN. - The Newberry Wolves opened up the basketball season with an exhibition matchup against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, posting a 79-50 loss. The Wolves did have a strong second half, however, as they were outscored just 41-39.

Newberry took their lumps in the first half as they scored 11 points and trailed by 27 at the break. Marshall Lange was the lone bright spot as he made three of his five field goal attempts for seven points. The Wolves shot just 5-for-26 from the field in the half and were outrebounded 24-13.

The second half saw a much more even contest as the Wolves settled in and ran good offense. Angelo Sales, Jr. led Newberry in scoring in the half with 10 points as he finished with 12 to lead the team overall. Lange scored four more points in the second half to join Sales in double figures with 11. He shot 4-of-6 overall and made his only three pointer, while Sales also made his only three pointer and was 5-for-8 from the field. 

Quandaveon McCollum struggled early on in the post, but finished with eight points and two rebounds as he battled hard against the Buccaneers' much larger front line.

Freshmen Callan Low and Robin Bedford both played well in their Wolves debut, with Bedford recording five points and making his only three pointer. Low struggled from the field as he shot 1-for-5, but he had three rebounds, an assist, and a steal in his 25 minutes on the floor.

The Wolves wil begin their regular season on Friday as they head to Florence to compete in the SAC-Peach Belt Challenge.