DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Newberry College women's basketball team completed their play in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Tip-Off Classic Hosted by North Georgia on Saturday afternoon with a match against Montevallo. Newberry (2-1) fell 80-79 in the affair after being called for a technical foul with a tenth of a second on the clock.
Newberry jumped out to an 11-3 lead thanks to seven points in one minute out of Amy Browne (Maroochydore, Australia). Montevallo quickly answered; however, with a few quick three-pointers to take a 12-11 lead at the first media timeout.
Montevallo shot well from distance early, as 18 out of their first 19 points came off of three pointers and the Falcons ended the half at 50% (8-16) from behind the arc.
Newberry was kept in the first half due in large part to the hot shooting of the Browne sisters. Amy Browne led all Newberry scorers with 11 points at the break as her sister Courtney Browne had 10 points and shot 3-3 from the foul stripe. The Brownes accounted for 21 of Newberry's 35 first-half points.
Newberry came out hot in the second half and opened a 14 run that spanned five minutes and earned the scarlet and gray a 56-45 lead. Montevallo then took its turn to make a run and scored 19 of the next 26 points to take a 64-63 lead with 8:19 to play.
The teams exchanged baskets down the stretch until Alicia Lewis (Youngsville, La.) of Montevallo nailed her ninth three-point conversion of the night to give the Falcons a 78-77 lead with six seconds left.
Newberry raced the ball up court and called a timeout with just over two seconds showing on the clock. The scarlet and gray came out of the huddle multiple times and called three more timeouts before finally running a set play to get Anita Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) the ball on the baseline.
Bulcher immediately pulled up with a fifteen-foot jumper that touched only the net on its way down and put Newberry back on top 79-78. Newberry's bench leapt in excitement on the side of the court, but a tenth of a second still showed on the clock.
With coaches and fans yelling their opinions, the officials met to sort the action. After much deliberation, they ultimately charged Newberry with bench interference, a penalty worthy of a technical foul.
Lewis was given two free throws as a result of the play and another chance to put her team on top. Not showing any vulnerability to pressure, Lewis confidently knocked down both shots to secure the win for Montevallo. Lewis ended the night with 31 points to lead all scorers.
Bulcher tied for the lead for Newberry's scorers with 18 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Amy Browne also ended the night with 18 points and Courtney Browne added 12. After being kept off the board in the first half, Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) exploded for 14 points in the second. Bulcher also had 10 rebounds to round out her double-double.
The two teams had never met previously, and Newberry now falls to 0-1 all-time against the Falcons.
Newberry will now return home to host Armstrong Atlantic State in its home opener on Wednesday, November 25. It will mark the third consecutive game against a Peach Belt Conference Opponent and Newberry will look to improve its record to 2-1 against the in-region PBC.
