Newberry, S.C. - The Newberry College men's basketball team (11-11, 11-9 SAC) fell to the No. 11 Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (21-3, 18-3 SAC) by a final score of 74-61 on Saturday in Eleazer Arena.
"They are very good," said head coach Jason Taylor. "They deserve all the credit. For us to have a chance, we can't turn the ball over and give up second chance points. They are the best shooting team in our league."
The Wolves would start off strong out of the gate as a couple of baskets from QuanDaveon McCollum (Clio, S.C.) propelled them to an early 8-0 lead. However, the Railsplitters were able to respond with a 14-2 run of their own to take the lead. McCollum and TJ Brown (Columbia, S.C.) were able to keep Newberry within three points, but Lincoln Memorial was able to use a 7-0 run to pull ahead. Malik Joseph (Eleuthera, Bahamas) and McCollum each hit a three-pointer to keep the Wolves within striking distance, but the Railsplitters always seemed to have an answer. Despite the strong opposition, the Wolves continued to try and chip away at the lead as Devario Sheppard (Columbia, S.C.) and Malakhi Stremlow (Traverse City, Mich.) were able to pull Newberry within seven points at the end of the half, sending the game into the break with Lincoln Memorial leading 36-29.
The Railsplitters pressed their attack early in the second half, but a pair of threes from Brown and Joseph kept the Wolves close and sparked the crowd. The Railsplitters once again responded, but Newberry kept fighting, not allowing them to put the game out of reach. However, it would not be enough as the Wolves ultimately fell 74-61.
"I do feel completely different about the game than I did last Saturday," said Taylor. "I thought our energy level was good. I thought we played hard, but the room for error against a really good team is very minute, and you have got to take care of that ball and rebound."
Despite the loss, McCollum had an impressive night, finishing the game with 20 points and 9 rebounds.
"Day Day was great," said Taylor. "His energy on the glass tonight, he is as good as anybody in our league when he plays with that level of energy on the glass and defensively."
Outside of the aforementioned McCollum, Brown also had himself a solid evening, scoring 15 points of his own. Meanwhile, Joseph scored 11 points, and Sheppard snagged 8 rebounds.
The Wolves will look to bounce back on Monday, Feb. 14 when they host Mars Hill in a make-up game in Eleazer Arena with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
