NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College women's basketball team lost its third sraight South Atlantic Conference game in Eleazer Arena on Saturday, as the Wingate Bulldogs emerged with a 91-77 win.
Newberry (16-9, 6-7 SAC) only connected on one three-pointer in the closing seconds of the game, while Wingate (18-7, 10-2 SAC) sank 11 trifectas.
The Lady Indians were led by a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double from Tonique Frasier (Walterboro, S.C.).
Frasier's 12 rebound performance gives her 1,005 boards in her career. The senior is only the second player in program history to grab over 1,000 rebounds. Tiffany Johnson holds the school record with 1,167 rebounds from 1996 to 2000.
She is only the fifth player in Newberry history - regardless of gender - to record both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
Ashlee Wright (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) scored 16 points and snagged eight boards, while Carnicha Bellinger (Greenville, S.C.) scored 10 points to round out three Newberry players in double figures.
Four Bulldogs netted double-digit points, led by Anna Atkinson, who scored 23 points, including five three-pointers, and dished out 10 assists to earn a double-double. Kate Edwards scored 16 points, while Erica Crumlin and Kasey Gillis each netted 10.
Wingate only led by one point with 11:36 until the half, but went on an 13-2 run to take a 32-20 lead with 7:16 to go in the opening stanza. The Lady Indians answered with a 14-3 run of their own, tying the game at 35-all on a Wright jumper with 1:51 left.
The Bulldogs scored six of the next eight points to take a 41-37 lead to the locker room.
Newberry cut the lead to one on a Frasier free throw and a Bellinger lay-in, but Wingate dialed it in from long distance to pull away. The Bulldogs sank three-pointers on three straight possessions, and two free throws by Jessy Keitt pushed the WU lead to 56-42 with 15:14 to lead.
The Lady Indians continued to battle, but could not close the gap to any fewer than seven points. Leadin by seven at 66-59 with 7:46 left, Wingate strung together another four possessions without a miss to push the lead to 16 points with just more than five minutes to play to put the game out of reach.
Wingate shot 64.3 percent (18-of-28) in the second half, including making 6-of-8 three-pointers.
The Bulldogs' 91 points are the most a Newberry team has allowed in five seasons under head coach Jason Brink.
The Lady Indians hit the road to take on provisional SAC member Brevard at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Newberry will wrap up its regular season on Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. as the team will celebrate Senior Day with a game against Lincoln Memorial University.
