RALEIGH, N.C. - Newberry tied the game at 43 with 5:17 remaining off a four-point possession, but in the end it was top-seeded Shaw that prevailed on its home court, 53-50, in the first round of the NCAA South Atlantic Regional Friday night at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.

Cortney Snowden (Augusta, Ga.) made a basket and was fouled to draw to 43-41.  The free throw was missed, but Tygress Hope (Hepzibah, Ga.) collected the miss and tied the game.  Shaw took a 49-45 lead, but Tonya Deese (Newberry, S.C.) scored on an inside move to draw within 49-47.  On the other end, Deese blocked a Bear attempt that gave Newberry the opportunity to tie or lead, but the Lady Indians committed turnovers on the next two possessions. 

Meanwhile, Shaw's Tavia Clemendor took the second turnover the other way for a layup and a 51-47 lead.  Natassia Boucicault made two free throws to increase the margin to six, and Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.) canned a three with 2.4 seconds left for the final margin.

Newberry held a trio of four-point leads near the halfway point of the second period.  Ashlee Wright (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) scored four points, rebounded a miss, and had an assist during a crucial six minute stretch.  The sophomore guard had nine points, all in the second half.

Shaw jumped on top 4-0 after Boucicault's three and a free throw from Nicky Souter, but Deese and Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.) made a basket apiece to tie the game.  Newberry went down 16-7 after seven minutes of play, but roared back with eight straight points.  The Lady Indians tied things up at 26 all on a Tygress Hope (Hephzibah, Ga.) free throw, but Shaw's Leslee Anderson made a three as time expired to create the 29-26 halftime score.

Newberry used one of Shaw's strengths--aggressive defense--to its advantage, saddling four Lady Bears with two fouls and converting nine of 11 free throws.  At one point in the first half, Shaw committed three fouls in five seconds of play.

Wright came out of halftime with a three-pointer to tie things at 29 and set the stage for a close second half.  The crowd sat in relative silence from the point when Newberry secured its first lead (14:25) until Shaw came back to tie (7:48).

Shaw coach Jacques Curtis anticipated a nailbiter even though Shaw was the higher-seeded team and played on its homecourt.

"We knew we were playing a quality team," said Curtis, whose team won its 24th consecutive game and 49th straight home contest. "Newberry beat four teams that are playing in the regional. It was a tough game. Both teams left it out on the court."

While Shaw is well-known and feared for its full-court pressure, Newberry appeared well-prepared and fell victim to the trap only three times during the contest.

"We thought the biggest problem coming in would be the full-court press," Newberry head coach Jason Brink stated in the postgame interview.  "Most of our turnovers came in the halfcourt.  I'll give credit to Shaw: they cover a lot of ground.  Shaw is the most athletic team we've faced this season."

Newberry's defense held Shaw to nearly 23 points under its season average.  The Lady Indians only allowed Shaw to make 17.6% of its three-point attempts, almost half the percentage it made during its first 30 games.

 "We play whatever type of defense it takes to win.  Our thought was that if we could limit inside play and control the boards, then we would have a chance. To hold a team of Shaw's caliber to 24 points in a half is a testament to our defense."

Shaw became only the fifth team all season to out-rebound Newberry, the third-best team nationally in rebounding margin at +10 per game on the Division II level.

When asked to weigh in on the Shaw advantages--intimidation, home court, and athleticism--two Lady Indians expressed their thoughts.

"If you show that you're intimidated," Alexander said, "you're already defeated.  We knew we had to keep our composure and not let our teammates down.  We didn't worry about Shaw; we just worried about doing our thing.  Most of the time when you lose, you've beaten yourself.  We just wanted to come out and play to the best of our ability and not beat ourselves."

"I thought we did everything that Coach asked us to do," Deese said.  "We left it all out there today.  We stepped up to a superior team and had no fear."

While understandably disappointed with the loss, Brink commented on being competitive with the number-one seed in the region.

"We proved that we belong.  This is where Newberry belongs, and this is where we plan to be in the future."