NEWBERRY - Sophomore Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.) and senior Tonya Deese (Newberry, S.C.) each recorded double-doubles on senior day, but it wasn't enough as the Lady Indians dropped their final regular season game to Mars Hill College, 80-72. With the loss, Newberry (15-12, 6-8) falls into a tie for fifth in the South Atlantic Conference standings with Mars Hill (16-11, 6-8). Mars Hill wins the tie breaker and will become the fourth seed in the 2006 Food Lion SAC Tournament, due to a rules infraction by Presbyterian College, the SAC's second place team. Newberry becomes the tournament's fifth seed.
After falling behind 38-30 at halftime, the Lady Indians rallied back early in the second with an 11-4 run, cutting the Mars Hill lead to one, 42-41, with 16:08 remaining. Mars Hill responded, however, with a 6-1 run of their own. Newberry kept battling and eventually tied the game at 52-all, with 9:54 to go. Minutes later, a Frasier jumper gave Newberry their first lead of the second half, 56-55, with 8:22 left.
The Lady Lions answered back with a monster 15-2 run, holding Newberry scoreless for nearly five minutes and forcing seven missed shots. The Mars Hill run gave them a 12-point advantage, 70-58, with 3:26 to go. Newberry would go on to cut that margin to six, 78-72, with 51 ticks on the clock, but they would get no closer down the stretch. Several missed free throws near the end of the game kept the Lady Indians from making an effective late run.
For Newberry, Frasier poured in a career-high 23 points and grabbed 14 boards, while Deese tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds. Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.) added 15 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds and Laura Marquardt (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) chipped in 10 points. The Lady Indians shot a dismal 51.9% from the charity stripe on the game.
Mars Hill was led by 24 points and eight rebounds from Kristi Ferris (Knoxville, Tenn.) and 21 points and 10 boards from Lindsey Jones (Crossville, Tenn.). Katie Davis (Harriman, Texas) contributed 16 points. Mars Hill converted on 11-of-15 (73.3%) free throws on the game.
The Lions jumped on top early in the opening half, thanks to sound three-point shooting from Ferris and Davis. Mars Hill's 11-0 run made the score 18-7 with 13:31 to go in the half. Newberry continued to struggle offensively, but their defense kept them within striking distance. Frasier, Deese, and Alexander sparked a 12-4 Newberry run late in the half, making their deficit just two, 30-28, with 4:47 to go. Mars Hill responded with an 8-2 run to end the half, giving them an eight-point lead at the break, 38-30.
Up next for both teams is the first round of the 2006 Food Lion SAC Tournament, which will be played on March 1 at the higher seed's home court. Since Mars Hill has the tie breaker over Newberry, the fifth seeded Lady Indians will travel to fourth seed Mars Hill next Wednesday. Game time has yet to be determined.
