FLORENCE — Playing its second regionally-ranked opponent in as many days, Newberry nearly erased a six-point deficit over the final two minutes before falling to UNC Pembroke 73-69.
The tight affair saw two ties, nine lead changes, and neither team accumulate a lead of more than nine points. UNC Pembroke (2-0) took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Shaun Kirk with 12:16 to play and led by six points with 1:54 remaining on a layup by Jordan Ratliffe before Newberry (1-1) began to claw back into the contest.
TJ Brown went coast-to-coast on a steal to cut the Braves’ lead to 68-64. After a made free throw, Luke Gibson brought the Wolves within two points with his second made three-point field goal of the night with 33 ticks remaining.
Newberry was forced to foul to regain possession, but UNC Pembroke secured two offensive rebounds after missing the front ends of one-and-one opportunities. The Braves then stretched the lead to four points with two free throws.
Angelo Sales Jr. cut the lead back down to two points with under 10 seconds to play with a bucket in the paint, but the Braves added two more free throws and two final shot attempts refused to fall as UNC Pembroke closed out the four-point win.
Sales led the Wolves in scoring for the second straight game with 17 points in 37 minutes on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting, helping Newberry to a 44-30 advantage in the paint, and collected eight rebounds. TJ Brown chipped in 16 points, eight boards, four assists, and four steals.
Marshall Lange gave Newberry three players in double figures with a 12-point effort, while Gibson and Quandaveon McCollum poured in eight points apiece.
Former Newberry student-athlete Jabrie Bullard, a Pembroke native who transferred to UNC Pembroke after spending the 2017-18 season with the Wolves, led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, all from beyond the arc. Strother and Ratliffe added 16 and 13 points, respectively.
This weekend’s games were hosted by Francis Marion as part of a conference crossover challenge between the South Atlantic Conference and Peach Belt Conference. The Wolves upset Francis Marion, the eighth-ranked team in the preseason Division II Sports Information Directors Association Southeast Region poll, Friday before having to face the fourth-ranked Braves Saturday evening.
Newberry will not take the floor again until Friday, Nov. 22, when the Wolves host their first game at Eleazer Arena of the 2019-20 campaign against Piedmont International. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.