GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - The Newberry Wolves men's basketball team dug themselves a hole Saturday afternoon, and the Tusculum Pioneers never let them back out in a 75-66 loss. Newberry drops to 11-9 (7-7 SAC) with the result.

With 3:33 remaining on the clock, Trenton Gibson sank two free throws to give the Pioneers a 61-48 lead. Less than a minute later, the Wolves began to slowly claw their way back as Luke Gibson hit a three pointer to pull within ten. After a Brandon Mitchell layup, Gibson netted another three to cut the lead to nine. Two more Mitchell free throws stretch the Tusculum lead out to 11, but QuanDaveon McCollum made a layup to keep the margin at nine with exactly one minute to play.

Two Dillon Smith free throws stretched the lead back out to double digits, but TJ Brown made a layup to cut the lead back to nine. After Keaston Brown went 1-2 at the free throw line, Gibson made another three pointer to close to within 68-61 with 34 seconds left. Trenton Gibson then split a pair of free throws for the Pioneers, but Luke Gibson hit his fourth three pointer in the last three minutes to cut the lead to 69-64 with 26 seconds on the clock. After two more Trenton Gibson free throws, TJ Brown tipped in a missed three pointer, but Tusculum hit four free throws down the stretch to seal the deal.

The game started out poorly for Newberry as the Pioneers scored the first eleven points of the game. Jumpers by Angelo Sales, Jr. and McCollum quieted the run and cut the lead to seven, then Sales, Jr. hit a three pointer to close within four. After a Dillon Smith three pointer and two free throws by Sales, Jr., the Wolves would never get close until the aforementioned final sequence.

A Keaston Brown layup, two Zack Dixon free throws, and a dunk by Dyquavis Wilkins gave Tusculum a 20-9 lead. Three pointers by Mitchell and Smith then stretched the lead out to seventeen points. The Wolves finally got into double digits on the scoreboard on a Jalen Johnson layup, but the damage was already done. Brown and Sales, Jr. added layups to keep the momentum of Newberry's side, but the lead was back to 20 after a Trenton Gibson layup. Tai Giger hit a three pointer to bring the Wolves to within 35-18 going into halftime, but the first half offensive output was the worst of the season for Newberry.

Luke Gibson started off the second half with a three pointer to make the score 35-21, but Keaston Brown hit another three pointer. TJ Brown hit two free throws, but Smith made a fastbreak layup to keep the margin at 17. For most of the second half, the teams went back and forth. Gibson gave the Wolves life with a three pointer with 15 minutes to play, and two Brown free throws cut the margin to 12 for the first time in more than 15 minutes. Two more Brown free throws sliced the lead to 10 and his layup a short time later cut the lead to nine, but the Pioneers refused to fold.

Consecutive Smith baskets stretched the lead back out to 15 points before two Sales, Jr. free throws cut the lead back to 13. Four combined points by Sales, Jr. and Marshall Lange made the score 53-41 with more than nine minutes on the clock, but the Wolves were unable to go on a decisive run. Marcus Ford hit his only three pointer of the day to make the score 57-44 with 6:20 to play; then McCollum scored four consecutive points, but this merely led into the final sequence of the contest.

Gibson scored 20 points for the second consecutive contest as he made 6-12 three pointers. Sales, Jr. and Brown joined him in double figures with 14 points each, while McCollum recorded 10 rebounds.

Newberry will look to bounce back Wednesday on the road at Anderson.