Franklin Springs, GA - The Southern Wesleyan University Warriors finish the 2024 Conference Carolinas/South Atlantic Conference Crossover Challenge win less after a loss to Newberry College.
The Warriors were led in scoring, rebounding, and assisting by Point Guard
Che Smith, who had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Eric Hackett and
Christopher Osobaye also had double-figures in points, with 17 and 13, respectively. As a team, SWU shot 26-56 (46.4%) from the field, 8-19 (42.1%) from behind the arc, and 7-10 (70%) from the free-throw line.
Game Vitals:
Final: Southern Wesleyan Unversity 67, Newberry College 74
Records: Southern Wesleyan University (0-2), Newberry College (2-0)
How It Happened:
The Warriors started a lineup that had success in yesterday's season opener:
Che Smith,
RJ Bell,
Bobby Taylor,
Christopher Osobaye, and
Aaron Tims. Osobaye connected on a pair of early threes, but as a team, SWU couldn't get into an offensive rhythm as Newberry jumped out to a 16-6 lead. The Warriors put together a quick 5-0 run after that to cut the lead down to 5, getting a fast break layup from Smith and a pull-up three from
Eric Hackett. Those two Guards really were the story of success for Southern Wesleyan today, as they combined for 36 points on 15-21 (71.4%) from the field and 4-6 (66.7%) from three. Osobaye had 11 of his 13 total points in the first half including all 3 of his attempts from behind the arc, but he wasn't nearly as efficient as Smith and Hackett. The Wolves finished with back-to-back buckets late in the first half and took a 17-point lead into the break.
SWU opened the second half with some high energy, going on a 16-6 run capped by a mid-range jump shot from Hackett just after the under-16 media timeout. The Wolves regained some balance in their offense by getting the ball into the paint where they finished often. Newberry only had 2 players get into double figures in the game, but their sustained attack resulted in 7 players putting up 8 or more points. The Wovles' interior pressure is a glaring positive in the box score as they outscored SWU 36-30 in the paint, outscored them 16-0 in the second-chance department, and out-rebounded them 35-24. Although Newberry held a double-digit lead for most of the second half, Southern Wesleyan cut the lead down to 9 with 5 minutes left thanks to a jumper from Hackett, who later scored the final two buckets of the game to make the score 74-67 as time expired.
What's Next:
The Warriors will travel to Limestone University on Wednesday, November 13th before the home opener on Saturday, November 16th against Toccoa Falls College.
