MARS HILL, N.C. - The Newberry College women's basketball team stayed undefeated in the South Atlantic Conference by beating the Mars Hill Lions on the road Wednesday, 76-64.
Laura Marquardt (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) led her team to victory and earned her second career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Anita Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) also earned a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The leading scorer for Mars Hill was Brittini Young (Ramseur, N.C.) with 16 points. She shot 50% from three-point range and 100% from the foul line. Shamia Terry (Greenville, S.C.) played well in the post for the Lions, earning 12 points and eight boards.
It was a rough start for the scarlet and gray who began the game shooting 3-for-17. However, their defense was sharp as they only trailed by 5 with 10 minutes remaining in the half. The Lions eventually pushed their lead to 10 points until NC went on a 14-5 run to cut the lead to a single point. Mars Hill pushed back and went back into the locker room with the 35-29 lead.
Despite the poor shooting at the start of the game, Newberry improved their shooting percentage to 31.3% by sinking 7-of-15 for the remainder of the half. The team struggled from beyond the arc, going 0-for-9 in the first half, but somewhat made up for it by shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Mars Hill out-shot Newberry in the opening period and even sank 57% of their shots from downtown.
The top scorer in the first half for NC was Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) who added seven points and three rebounds. Janine Ward (Tallevast, Fla.) also played well with six points and three boards. Young played solid basketball for the Lions and scored a team high 12 points. She also made a half court prayer at the last second that got the Mars Hill fans out of their seats.
The Lions immediately pushed their lead to 10 in the second half but the scarlet and gray came roaring back. Down by seven, Newberry went on a 19-3 run to retake the lead, 49-58. Despite the deficit, Mars Hill almost made a comeback, cutting the lead to four points with a minute remaining. Newberry hung onto their lead down the stretch and last second free throws pushed them towards a 12 point victory.
The scarlet and gray improved their shooting in the second half, nailing 43.3% from the field in the final period. Newberry's comeback can also be attributed to their lack of turnovers. NC only committed 4 turnovers to Mars Hill's 10 in the second half.
Marquardt was phenomenal in the second half, scoring 21 of her final 23 points. She sank 8-of-12 field goals including 3-of-5 from downtown. Terry was the top scorer (6) and rebounder (4) for the Lions in the final period.
It was an important win for Newberry as the ladies proved that they could win after being down by double-digits. The scarlet and gray's 10 point deficit was the largest the team has come back to win from this season.
With the conference win, the Newberry College women's basketball team now stands at 10-4 overall and 3-0 in the SAC. The scarlet and gray will stay on the road this Saturday to play Lenoir-Rhyne at 6 p.m. They will return home on Wednesday, January 14 to play Lincoln Memorial at 6 p.m. Mars Hill (8-5 overall, 1-1 in the SAC) will travel to Carson-Newman this Saturday at 6 p.m.
