NEWBERRY - The Newberry College women's basketball team claimed its sixteenth victory of the season by virtue of defeating Tusculum College, 63-53, in college basketball action Saturday afternoon at Eleazer Arena. Sixteen wins have only been achieved three times in 28 seasons of Newberry women's basketball.
The Lady Indians move to 16-9 overall and 6-6 in the South Atlantic Conference. The 2004-05 squad ties the 1985-86 squad for second-most wins in a season. The 1987-88 Indians hold the all-time record with 18 wins. Also, the six SAC wins this season equal the total that Newberry has accumulated in seven years of conference play.
Tusculum (7-19, 1-11 SAC) opened with the game's first two points and obtained its only lead of the day. Newberry held a narrow 14-13 advantage with eight minutes left in the first half until firing off a 19-3 run. Laura Banda (Holcomb, Kan.) and Jonelle Yaklich (LaSalle, Ill.) each contributed six points during the span. TC battled back to a 33-24 deficit at the break.
Still leading by nine points at the 13-minute mark of the second period, the Lady Indians scored nine consecutive points, seven of those from the hand of Carnicha Bellinger (Greenville, S.C.), to sit at 49-31 with nine minutes remaining. Newberry pushed the lead to as much as 21 points, but a 13-6 Pioneer advantage over the final three minutes put the final margin at ten points.
Nine Indians placed a tally on the scoreboard, with Bellinger's 15 leading the way. Freshman Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.) contributed ten points. Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.), Banda, and Tonya Deese (Newberry, S.C.) each scored eight. Deese snagged a game-high seven rebounds.
For Tusculum, Chassity Martin (Salem, Va.), Julie Maples (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Amber Redding (Sevierville, Tenn.) each scored 12 points. No other Pioneer scored more than seven.
Newberry out-rebounded the visitors 38-26 to compensate for 39.6% shooting from the floor compared to TC's 42.6%.
The Lady Indians continue to chase history as they host Lenoir-Rhyne Wednesday the 23rd at 6 p.m. Tusculum hosts Presbyterian Wednesday in a 6 o'clock affair.
