NEWBERRY — The Newberry College men’s basketball program (0-4, 0-2 SAC) fell to the Saints of Limestone (3-1, 2-0 SAC) by a score of 62-59 on Saturday.
After a slow start from both teams, the Wolves pulled ahead early as a Robin Bedford jump shot kick-started a 15-1 Newberry run to take a 21-10 lead. They kept their foot on the accelerator as four points from Malakhi Stremlow led the Wolves on a 12-1 run shortly after to extend their lead to 36-17. A pair of baskets from the Saints then sent the game into halftime with the Wolves leading 36-21.
TJ Brown and Stremlow both hit three-point shots to start off the second half, pushing Newberry’s lead back up to 17 points. However, the Saints used a 12-0 run of their own to cut to within five points before an and-one from QuanDaveon McCollum stopped the bleeding. After more free throws from McCollum, the Saints went on a 10-0 run to take the lead, but a pair of baskets from Marcus Ford kept the score close. Newberry was forced to foul late in the game, and they went down by four points, but TJ Brown hit a three-pointer with six seconds remaining to cut the lead down to one and bring the crowd to its feet. Limestone made both free throws at the line, but the Wolves still had an opportunity to tie the game. However, Brown’s game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short, breaking the Wolves’ hearts.
McCollum led the way on offense with a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, five of those rebounds coming from the offensive glass. Brown joined him in double-figures as he had 12 points. Stremlow and Jalen Johnson each had nine points, and Devario Sheppard had six points off the bench. Meanwhile, Ford had four points, Tai Giger had three, and Bedford had two to round out the scoring column.