TJ Brown had 13 points in the Newberry Wolves’ first win of the season over the Anderson Trojans.
Garry Talbert | Newberry College Athletics
NEWBERRY — The Newberry College Wolves (1-5, 1-3 SAC) defeated the Trojans of Anderson (3-3, 1-3 SAC) by a score of 82-71 on Saturday behind a balanced attack that saw four different Wolves reach double-figures.
After a slow start, Malakhi Stremlow opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but after TJ Brown hit a pair of free throws, the Trojans tied the score at 5-5. The teams traded baskets to bring the score to 9-9 before QuanDaveon McCollum hit back-to-back shots to push the Wolves ahead. Shortly after, McCollum hit a shot that kick-started a 9-2 Newberry run capped off with a fast-break layup from Devario Sheppard after he picked off an Anderson pass. The Trojans responded with a 7-0 run of their own, but Jalen Johnson would convert on three clutch free throws to hold them back. Johnson hit two more shots before the end of the half to send the Wolves into the locker room with a 39-34 lead.
Anderson cut the lead down to two points early in the second half, but Brown scored five points of his own on back-to-back buckets to push the lead back out to seven. However, the Trojans made another push, this time claiming a slim lead after a 7-2 run. Both teams went back-and-forth, but the Wolves pushed ahead again with a 9-2 run that featured a pair of baskets from Sherman Robinson. Anderson tried to creep back into the game again, but the Wolves once again had an answer, this time with three-pointers from Marcus Ford and Brown. Those shots would prove to be the daggers as the Wolves came away with the 82-71 victory.
The Wolves dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Trojans 38-28, allowing the Wolves to attempt 20 more shots than Anderson. The bench also proved to be an advantage for Newberry as the Wolves’ reserves outscored the Anderson bench 29-8.
The Wolves’ offense featured a balanced attack with four different players reaching double-figures with three more not far off that mark. Johnson would lead the way with 16 points and five rebounds off the bench. Brown had a solid outing with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Meanwhile, McCollum and Stremlow would put up 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ford and Sheppard each had nine points with Ford leading the way in assists with five, and Malik Joseph had a solid eight-point, 10-rebound performance.