HARTSVILLE, S.C. – On the road for the final game of the season, the Newberry College men's basketball team had its highest scoring output of 2023-24 in a 110-98 road victory over Coker at the DeLoach Center.

Malik Joseph scored 21 points for Newberry (8-17, 7-13 SAC) to lead the charge. Jalen Johnson, playing in the final game of his collegiate career, tied a career-high with 20 points and set a career-high in rebounds with 12 for his third career double-double.

Caleb Byrd reached double figures for the seventh straight game to close the season, scoring 18 and grabbing six rebounds. Drake Downs paired his 15 points with a career-high eight assists for the Wolves.

Coker (15-13, 11-9 SAC) started the game up 7-0 and extended their advantage to 20-10 7:30 into the game. Four points from Booker Cusaac and a 3-pointer from Bobby Taylor made it 21-17 at the 10-minute mark.

The Cobras made it a 30-17 game with three straight 3s over the next minute before a 12-3 Newberry run cut the deficit to 33-29 with six minutes left in the half.

Joseph snagged an offensive rebound and hit a jumper to give the Wolves their first lead at 40-39 with 3:28 to go until halftime, and Newberry outscored Coker 10-5 from there to take a 50-44 lead into the second half.

A 10-0 run at the beginning of the closing half which culminated with a 3 from Johnson gave the Wolves a game-high 16-point cushion. Coker responded with 12 straight points of their own to bring the Newberry lead down to four, 60-56, and it eventually became a two-point game at 67-65 with 11:24 to go.

Six points in a row from the Wolves brought their lead back up to eight and it held steady with the score 86-78 after Joseph drilled one from long distance with 6:29 remaining. Another Johnson 3 pushed the margin to 101-89 Wolves three minutes later, and James Lovorn closed the game with two free throws.

Newberry had a handful of season-bests this afternoon: 110 points as previously mentioned, 43 made field-goals, and 50 rebounds. The Scarlet and Grey also tied season-highs in 3-pointers made (13) and blocked shots (6). The Wolves made 11 of 12 from the free-throw line (91.7%), another season-best performance in terms of percentage, and dished out 17 assists. Newberry also dominated with a 50-34 edge in points in the paint.

They also had a 23-10 margin in points off turnovers, 21 second-chance points to Coker's 13, and the bench outscored the Cobras 27-12.