SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Opening night for Newberry College basketball split two ways on Monday: the women blew out Converse University 97-56 on the road, while the men lost 79-64 at USC Aiken.
The women, now 1-0, hit 53 percent of their shots and had four scorers reach double figures. A 31-13 second quarter, when Newberry made 12 of 16 field goal tries, turned a close start into a 52-27 halftime cushion. The Wolves led 72-43 after three and piled up 48 points in the paint.
Junior forward Sanae Graham posted a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Marykate Kent scored 16 with three made threes, and Talia Busser came off the bench for 15 points in 13 minutes, going 4 of 6 from deep. Ryann Hernandez chipped in 10 points and four steals. Next up is a Saturday, Nov. 14 trip to Barton College.
In Aiken, the men fell behind 33-25 at the break and could not close the gap despite 39 second-half points. Makhi Rivers and AJ Demirov paced Newberry with 11 points each, Rivers adding four steals, and Kayzzin McDowell had 10 points. Bench players supplied 31 points. The men play their home opener against Belmont Abbey at Eleazer Arena on Friday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m.
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