Evans
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Evans.jpgEvans

NEWBERRY — Junior guard Gerald Evans had a career night, as the Newberry Wolves put on a second half surge to cruise away with a 117-93 win over Mars Hill in Eleazer Arena on Saturday.

Newberry moved to 14-8 overall and 9-7 in the South Atlantic Conference, while Mars Hill dropped to 9-12 overall and 5-10 in league play.

With a huge crowd of basketball alumni on hand, Evans put on a show with a career-high 30 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and a steal.

James Stepp scored 17 points with six rebounds. Brandon Taylor and Ronell Crockett each netted 13 points, with Taylor adding seven rebounds.

Mitch Riggs had 11 points and dished out five assists and D.J. Copeland rounded out the double figure scorers with 10 points.

Newberry shot well in every category, making 52.8% (38-of-72) of its field goals, 51.9% (14-of-27) of its three pointers and 75.0% (27-of-36) of its free throws.

The Wolves were dominant on the glass, outrebounding MHU 50-34.

The first half was a see-saw affair, with Mars Hill leading by as many as six points twice in the early going thanks to hot three-point shooting. Newberry fought back to tie the game seven times in the opening 20 minutes, but did not lead by more than four in that span.

The Wolves trailed by four with 1:40 to play but came back and took the halftime lead. Evans made three free throws in the final seconds to take a 59-56 lead into the halftime locker room.

Evans scored 18 points in the first half thanks to three three-pointers and perfect 7-of-7 free throw shooting.

Newberry held MHU off the scoreboard for the first four and a half minutes of the second half, but was unable to truly capitalize on that drought. The Wolves scored five points in that span and led by eight.

The first double digit lead of the game came on a Crockett layup at the 11:13 mark to make it 75-64. Newberry kept sneaking ahead further before the final surge to complete the rout. Leading 94-80 with five minutes to play, the scarlet and gray charged into unreachable territory with 11 points in less than two minutes. A pair of Evans free throws with 3:08 to go made it 105-80 to seal a runaway win.

The Wolves close out the three-game homestand with the Catawba College Catawba Indians at 8 p.m. Feb. 10. Newberry defeated Catawba 98-84 in Salisbury, N.C., in January.

This release provided by Newberry College.