NEWBERRY - The Newberry College women's basketball team kept its hot streak alive Tuesday afternoon by defeating the Limestone Saints at home, 76-52. It was the team's sixth consecutive victory.
Laura Marquardt (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) had a great game and earned her first career double-double. She earned team highs in points (16), rebounds (10), and assists (9). Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.) also played well and earned her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Blanca Gonzalez (Chicago, Ill.) led the way for the Saints with a game high 17 points. She shot great from outside, sinking 4-of-6 from three-point range. Whitney Todd (New Albany, Ind.) was the leading rebounder for Limestone with five boards.
Newberry set the tempo of the game early and went up 19-2 after six minutes of play. Even with the large lead the scarlet and gray never stepped off the gas pedal, earning a 37-11 lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the half. Newberry went back into the locker room up, 40-18. NC tied their season low for points allowed in a half.
Newberry, known for three-point shooting, played well offensively in the low post and took advantage of Limestone turnovers. They scored 31 of their 40 points off turnovers or with buckets in the paint. NC shot well, earning a 53% field goal percentage and a 56% three-point percentage. Limestone struggled from the field in the first half, making only 20% of their field goal attempts.
Newberry's 22 point lead was too much for Limestone to overcome, but they still played strong in the second half. The Saints even outscored the home team by four points in the first ten minutes of the second half. They cut the deficit to 16 points at one point but could not get further over the hump. The scarlet and gray finished the game on a 12-4 run and won the game by 24 points.
Newberry continued its dominance in the low post and finished the game with 34 points in the paint. The post play was also good on the defensive end, holding Limestone to only 12 points in the paint. The strong performance down low helped the scarlet and gray outshoot their opponent, 47.5% to 30.4%.
The sixth consecutive win puts Newberry at 8-2 overall on the season. They will take a two week break for the holidays before playing on the road against Georgia College and State at the Craig Massee Real Estate Classic on December 29 at 5 p.m. Limestone (2-4 overall) will return home this Thursday, December 18 to play Brevard.
