NEWBERRY - The Newberry College women forced 22 Spartan turnovers and blocked six shots to hang on to a 67-60 victory over USC Upstate Saturday afternoon at Eleazer Arena in women's basketball action.  Newberry (5-2) has already matched its win total from last season, while USC Upstate falls to 4-3.

Three freshmen provided the bulk of Newberry's scoring today.  Carnicha Bellinger (Greenville, S.C.) led the way with 13 points, followed by Ashley Marine (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Jonelle Yaklich (Lasalle, Ill.), each with 11.  Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.) competed hard on both ends of the floor, scoring eight while collecting seven rebounds and blocking three shots.

The Indians' bench accounted for 40 of Newberry's 67 points, and defense sparked 22 points off Spartan turnovers.

Newberry held a 33-23 halftime margin, with 17 of the Scarlet's first-half points coming from Bellinger and Yaklich.  The Indians went ahead with 9:26 left until intermission on a Yaklich three-pointer and never trailed again.  That lead swelled to 13 points once in each half, but Upstate chipped away until the lead was only 64-60 with 49 ticks on the clock.  At that point, Yaklich scored her only points after intermission, burying a trey to provide the final score.

"I'm pleased that we could get a regional win today," Newberry head coach Jason Brink said following the game. "The reason for our victory is that we played well as a team.  We had ten people score today.  I'm very proud of the fact that our girls off the bench came ready to play and stepped up for our team.

"I thought our defense in the first half was outstanding, holding them to 23 points.  We must play more consistent defense over the course of both halves to be competitive in the conference."

Upstate's Yakeeshia Ross (Spartanburg, S.C.) continued to be the dominant force for the Spartans this season with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocked shots in the loss.  Freshman guard Keoshia Worthy (Augusta, Ga.) paced the visitors with 14 points.  Lele Miles (Naples, Fla.) missed a double-double, contributing seven points and ten rebounds.

Newberry travels to Spartanburg for a meeting with Converse College on Tuesday, December 7 at 5 p.m.  Upstate will host South Atlantic Conference opponent Mars Hill Monday night at 6 p.m.