CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Wolves Men's Basketball team had Western Carolina on the ropes, but the Catamounts caught fire late in the second half to pull away from Newberry 91-84 in an exhibition matchup for the Wolves. Marcus Ford led all scorers with 27 points while also pulling five rebounds and dishing four assists.

It was Newberry who drew first blood, as Jalen Johnson hit a three to put the Wolves up 3-0. After the Catamounts responded on the other end, QuanDaveon McCollum hit a short jumper, then picked up a block to set up Marcus Ford to knock down a three, stretching the lead to five points. The Catamounts would go on a run and eventually open up a 10-point lead with 14:06 to go in the first half.

Newberry started to work their way back into the game, with Zach Shumate hitting back-to-back buckets to bring the Wolves to within seven. Then the Wolves started a little run, which was kicked off by Callan Low hitting his second three of the half to make it a five-point lead. After a couple of defensive stops, Tai Giger drilled a three of his own to bring Newberry to within two. They would tie the game 20 seconds later when Ford made a jumper, knotting things up at 29. The Wolves and Catamounts would trade buckets down the stretch, with Newberry getting the last laugh when Ford drilled a three to make it a 45-43 Western Carolina lead heading into halftime.

The Wolves were hot coming out of the locker room, scoring the first five points of the half, including a three from Brown that pushed them in front of the Catamounts. Newberry would stretch their lead to 51-47 after Ford contributed another three, but Western Carolina responded with a deep ball of their own to keep it close. Newberry would then trade buckets with the Catamounts over the next six minutes before the Catamounts pulled ahead with 10:40 to go. Their lead didn't last long, as Ford hit a three to even up the score. 

Western Carolina would finish the game on a 26-19 run to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Wolves outshot the Catamounts from behind the arc in the second half, hitting seven of their 11 attempts, compared to four of 10 for Western Carolina.

Inside the Box Score

• Marcus Ford finished the game with 27 points on five rebounds and four assists. The senior from Eatonton, Ga. Was 11-23 from the field and 5-8 from behind the arc.
• As a team, Newberry outshot Western Carolina from three-point land, hitting 59.3% of their attempts. The Wolves also cleaned up the offensive glass, pulling 11 offensive rebounds compared to the Catamounts' four.

Up Next

The Wolves will make their Eleazer Arena debut Saturday afternoon when they take on Tusculum. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.