The Newberry College men's basketball team led by as many as 24 points in the second half on the way to a 73-62 win over visiting Brevard College in Eleazer Arena on Wednesday night.

Newberry (19-7, 9-6 South Atlantic Conference) celebrated the careers of seniors Matt Alexander (Norcross, Ga.), Clemente Martin (Freeport, Bahamas), Ty Overmyer (Dawsonville, Ga.) and Vytautas Valiulis (Vilnius, Lithuania) prior to the game. The seniors played in their final regular season home game and were led by Martin's 24-point performance.

Martin was joined in double digits by 13 points from Jesse Wheeler (Suwanee, Ga.) and 12 points from Brett Goodwell (Inglewood, Calif.). Newberry - which leads the nation in blocked shots per game - swatted an impressive 11 shots in the game, includin g six from Kendrick Johnson (Orangeburg). Nine of the team's blocks came in the first half and Johnson is now one blocked shot away from tying for 25th all-time in the history of NCAA Division II.

Newberry held the 14-point advantage at the half and extended that lead out to 24 points in the first seven minutes of the second half. Brevard held the scarlet and gray near in the opening stages of the period, but NC took its first 20-point lead of the game when a Goodwell layup with 14:49 on the clock capped an 8-0 Newberry surge. A Domsic triple with 13:20 to play gave Newberry its largest lead of the contest at 53-29.

Newberry wraps up the regular season on Saturday night in Harrogate, Tenn., against the Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial University. A Newberry win would clinch a top four seed in the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Tournament, as Lenoir-Rhyne's win and Tusculum's loss tonight ensured the Bears the top seed. Tipoff in Tex Turner Arena is set for 8 p.m.

Courtesy of Newberry College Sports Information