Topdog: Wolves take down Wingate behind Ford’s 20-point first half

Newberry, S.C. – The Newberry College Wolves (10-9, 10-7 SAC) earned a tough 62-57 victory over the visiting Wingate Bulldogs (16-6, 12-6 SAC) on Wednesday night in Eleazer Arena.

Both teams would start the game by trading baskets on their way to a 5-5 tie two minutes into the contest before Marcus Ford hit a three to put the Wolves ahead. However, the Bulldogs would use a 13-2 run of their own to take an 18-12 lead, but Ford was once again the hot hand that kept the Wolves close, converting eight consecutive points by himself to tie the game at 18-18. The Wolves would then end the half on a high note with a 14-3 run that had them leading the Bulldogs by a score of 32-24 at the halftime break behind an outstanding 20-point first half from senior Marcus Ford.

Malakhi Stremlow would start the second half with a bang as he hit a pair of threes to extend the Wolves’ lead to 14 points. The Bulldogs would cut that lead in half with a 7-0 run, but Stremlow and TJ Brown were there to answer with a bucket and a pair of free throws. It would then be a back-and-forth affair, but the Bulldogs were slowly cutting down the lead down to as close as four points. However, Brown would put the game away with four straight points that would ultimately secure the 62-57 victory over Wingate.

Ford led the way with 23 points after his impressive first half while also securing 7 rebounds. Stremlow had 15 points of his own while Brown had a solid stat line of 13 points and 8 rebounds. Meanwhile, QuanDaveon McCollum scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, including the five-hundredth of his Newberry College career.

The Wolves return to action on Saturday, Feb. 5 when they host Tusculum in Eleazer Arena with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m.