NEWBERRY - The Newberry Wolves men's basketball team snapped a three game losing streak Saturday afternoon in Eleazer Arena as they defeated the UVa-Wise Cavaliers 78-73. With the win, Newberry improves to 12-10 (8-8 SAC) on the season.

Trailing 61-60 with five minutes left on the clock, TJ Brown converted a short shot to give the Wolves a one point lead. After a miss by UVa-Wise, Marcus Ford made a fastbreak three pointer, forcing a timeout by the Cavaliers. Although Briggs Parris made a three pointer out of the timeout to pull within one, QuanDaveon McCollum hit two free throws to stretch the lead back out to three. Eric Okenchi then hit a three pointer, tying the score at 67 with three minutes to play.

McCollum then made a contested layup to give Newberry the lead, but Okenchi made two free throws to tie the game once again. Brown and Cameron Whiteside then traded baskets before McCollum made another short jumper. Okenchi then made two free throws, setting up a wild final sequence. Izeah Parker fouled McCollum, who drained two free throws to give the Wolves the lead with 23 seconds to play. After a Chance Sheffey miss, Brown put back a missed layup by Angelo Sales, Jr. Brown then made one of two free throws to seal the win.

The Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead to start the game, but the Wolves scored six straight points. Luke Gibson, McCollum, and Marshall Lange scored consecutive baskets to give Newberry some momentum. The teams then traded baskets before Parris made consecutive three pointers to give UVa-Wise a 12-10 lead. Sheffey , Yesid Mosquera-Perea and Gibson traded baskets before Parris hit another three pointer for a four point lead.

After a couple baskets by UVa-Wise, Ford and Robin Bedford each hit two free throws to tie the score. The Cavaliers then regained a three point lead, but Jalen Johnson hit a three pointer to tie the score. Whiteside then scored for the Cavaliers, but Sales, Jr. made his only basket of the game to take a one point lead. McCollum then made a layup to give the Wolves a three point lead, but Parris tied the score with another three pointer. A Sales, Jr. free throw regained the lead for Newberry, but Parris drained another three. Bedford then ended the half with a driving layup to tie the score at 36.

Parris hit a jumper to start the second half, but a Gibson three pointer and a bucket by Brown gave the Wolves some early momentum. The teams then traded baskets before Gibson hit another three pointer to give Newberry a four point lead. McCollum then scored on a power move inside to give Newberry a six point lead, their largest of the game. After a basket by the Cavaliers, McCollum scored again to regain the six point lead. 

A Chance Sheffey three pointer brought the Cavaliers within one possession before Gibson scored again to extend the lead back out to five. Six consecutive points by UVa-Wise gave them the lead, leading to a back and forth sequence. A Parris three pointer gave the Cavaliers a 58-56 lead. Sales, Jr. hit two free throws, Sheffey made a jumper, and the teams traded free throws heading into the aforementioned final sequence.

Newberry was led by McCollum, who notched a career high in points with 23 and added in a team-high nine rebounds. Gibson, the conference leader in three point percentage, made 3-5 from behind the arc and scored 15 points. Sales, Jr. joined them in double figures with 11, making a team-high eight free throws.

The Wolves will look to continue their winning ways at home this coming Wednesday against Queens.