NEWBERRY, S.C. – Holding a slight two-point advantage over the Broncos of Fayetteville State University, who were selected to finish first in their conference this season, the Newberry College (8-5) men's basketball team was able to extend their lead through the second half to pick up the 71-64 victory in their final contest of the 2022 calendar year.
Senior QuanDaveon McCollum (Clio, S.C.) led the Wolves with 20 points on the day, also recording nine boards, just one shy of a double-double. However, sophomore Malakhi Stremlow (Traverse City, Mich.) would pick up the double-double as he was able to haul in 12 rebounds and scored 15 points, going 5-for-6 down the stretch. The Wolves flexed their depth in the contest as well as they were able to outscore the Broncos by a 48-12 advantage in bench points.
Four different Wolves started off the scoring on the day as they jumped out to the early 7-1 advantage to open the game before the Broncos were able to pull back to within a single point with just under 14 minutes to go in the opening half. However, a pair of jump shots by McCollum and a pair of free throws by senior TJ Brown (Columbia, S.C.) gave Newberry the 18-9 lead following the under-8 media timeout.
The Broncos would rattle off seven straight points to pull back to within two points before the two squads would exchange baskets to bring the score back to a three-point advantage for the Wolves at 22-19 heading into the final media timeout of the first. Fayetteville State took their first lead of the contest with just under two minutes remaining in the first half with a timely three-pointer by Cress Worthy. But junior Jalen Johnson (Sumter, S.C.) knocked down a three in the waning moments of the half and the Wolves hit the final two free-throws of the half to take a 31-29 advantage into the locker room.
The second half would start as a balanced affair as the two teams traded buckets back and forth, keeping the game within one possession into the first media timeout of the stanza. McCollum took charge of the contest following the timeout and would lead the Wolves to a 15-3 run over the next six minutes of action to extend their lead out to 15 at 55-40.
The Broncos would not go away quietly as they began to chip into the Wolves lead heading down the stretch, cutting it to single digits with the final media timeout being called just under four minutes remaining in the contest with the score at 62-52. Cress Worthy for the Broncos led the charge down the final minutes to bring the contest to within two points with just 54 seconds remaining on the clock. That would be as close as they would get though as the Wolves hit clutch free throws over that stretch to outscore the Broncos 6-1 in the final minutes of action to secure their 71-64 victory.
The Wolves return to conference play in the new year as they make the trip across the northern border to Wingate University to take on the Bulldogs on Wednesday, January 4. Tip-off for the league showdown is slated for 12:00 p.m.
