NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry's Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.) recorded career highs, scoring 16 points along with 16 rebounds to lead the Lady Indians past Mars Hill College, 66-63, in women's basketball action Thursday night at Eleazer Arena. Newberry (14-6, 4-3 South Atlantic Conference) claimed only its third victory all-time against Mars Hill (9-10, 2-5 SAC) and won for the first time since the South Carolina school has been a member of the conference.
Fourteen wins by the 2004-05 Lady Indians ties this squad for fifth-best in school history, and the team has at least eight more games in which to equal or better the program-best 18 wins accomplished in 1987-88.
Indian freshman Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.) stepped to the line with her team holding a 64-63 edge and swished both clutch foul shots with 15.7 left on the clock to supply the final tally. On the other end, Alexander blocked Lion Abby DeBusk's (New Tazewell, Tenn.) three-point attempt, and a final desperation heave by Kristi Ferris (Knoxville, Tenn.) was off the mark.
Newberry secured the lead for good at 4:48 in the second period off a Frasier layup, making the score 59-57. After Claire Hogan (Lansing, Mich.) converted an old-fashioned three-point play, DeBusk penetrated for a layup. Newberry guard Taquala Cooks (Lithonia, Ga.) sandwiched a free throw between consecutive jumpers from the Lions' Lindsay Roberts (Murphy, N.C.) to set the stage for Alexander's game-preserving free throws.
The game featured 12 ties and 14 lead changes, and the largest lead was only seven, acquired twice by the Lady Indians in the early going.
Newberry held advantages in the rebounding columns, winning the overall battle 44-34 and the offensive boards 20-10. The other category favoring the Indians was free throw attempts, as the hosts went to the line 36 times compared to Mars Hill's 12 attempts at the stripe. Consequently, seven Lions had three or more fouls by the game's conclusion, and junior Lindsey Jones (Crossville, Tenn.) fouled out with just under two minutes left in regulation.
Ferris was the contest's leading scorer with 18 points. DeBusk and Roberts notched 13 and 12 markers, respectively, in the losing cause.
Frasier tacked two blocks and two steals onto the double-double. No other Indian reached double figures, but Cooks contributed nine points. Hogan and Carnicha Bellinger (Greenville, S.C.) put in eight apiece. Alexander's only points were from the charity stripe; however, she was a perfect 4-for-4 in that realm. Ten different Indians scored in the contest, compared to seven for Mars Hill.
Newberry will shoot for its first-ever four-game conference winning streak when it travels to Carson-Newman College Saturday to face the Eagles at 6 p.m. Mars Hill looks to snap a four-game losing streak when it returns to S.C. to face Presbyterian Saturday at 2.
