NEWBERRY, S.C. – Newberry College junior forward QuanDaveon McCollum dominated once again in the Wolves 81-68 win over Catawba College Monday night. The Week 12 South Atlantic Conference AstroTurf Player of the Week had a double-double with 29 points and 14 rebounds.
 
Coming off a huge upset win over no. 2/4 Lincoln Memorial on Feb. 13, the Wolves were looking to win back-to-back games for the third time this season.  After a few early ties, Catawba went on the first scoring run of the game, putting up 11-consecutive points over 2:10. McCollum stopped Catawba's scoring streak with a jumper with 13:38 to play in the first half, shrinking the deficit to single-digits, 16-9.
 
The visitors held a sizable lead for most of the first half. Senior guard Marcus Ford cut into Catawba's lead with a three-pointer at the 10:33 mark. Ford returned to the Wolves lineup after a three-game absence and contributed ten points, including a perfect 4-4 (100%) from the free throw line. With 2:46 left in the half, Ford drained another deep ball to give Newberry a 32-31 lead, their first advantage in 13:27 of gameplay.
 
The two teams traded buckets in the waning seconds of the first half and Catawba headed into the locker room with a 37-36 lead. At the break, McCollum already had 16 points and eight rebounds. The hero of Saturday's win, junior forward TJ Brown, had ten points at halftime. He finished with 20 points and a crucial 92% (11-12) performance at the free throw line.
 
Newberry made their first attempt to pull away 4:57 into the second half. Sophomore guard Jalen Johnson sank back-to-back three-pointers, giving his squad a 44-41 lead. Johnson's quick scoring outburst was part of an 18-6 Wolves run that lasted 5:40 and put Newberry up 56-45. During the run, McCollum had eight points highlighted by a dunk.
 
Sophomore guard Tai Giger sank a three from downtown to put the Wolves up 59-47 with 9:56 to play. Catawba put on a full court press but were only momentarily able to bring their deficit within five points. Newberry handled Catawba's full court pressure and were able to rip off the game's final scoring run. The Wolves outscored Catawba 11-3 over the closing 1:48 and rolled into an 81-68 win, a 7-3 record, and sole possession of fourth place in the conference.
 
FAST FACTS

• Newberry is 7-0 when scoring 70 or more points. They are also undefeated when their opponent scores first.
• The Wolves went 22-26 (84.6%) from the free throw line, which marks both their season-high for single-game free throws made and free throw percentage.
• McCollum celebrated his Player of the Week award with a single-game career-high 29 points He reached 20+ points for the fifth-straight game and sixth time this season. He is averaging 24.6 points since Jan. 20 vs Limestone.
• The 13-point win was Newberry's largest margin of victory this season, and largest since a 33-point win over Mars Hill on Jan. 25, 2020.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
Newberry has a rematch with Catawba College on Wednesday, January 17 at 8 p.m. in Salisbury, N.C.