NEWBERRY - An outstanding second half defensive effort pushed the Newberry College women's basketball team to an emphatic 73-52 win over the No. 22 Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears in Eleazer Arena Saturday.
Newberry (14-8, 7-4 South Atlantic Conference) had four starters in double-digit scoring led by 19 points from Monica Alexander (Atlanta, Ga.) and an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double from Anita Bulcher (Russia, Ohio). Laura Marquardt (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) scored 17 and Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) netted 14 for the scarlet and gray.
Lenoir-Rhyne (19-3, 9-2 SAC) was led by 12 points from LaCourtney Rann (Charlotte, N.C.) off the bench, while Brittany Mitch (McLean, Va.) scored 10 points.
The win was all the more important for Newberry, as the scarlet and gray were ranked eighth in the Southeast Region at the beginning of the week, while L-R was ranked first. New rankings will be released prior to Wednesday's game at Catawba.
After a tight, back-and-forth opening half, the scarlet and gray dominated the defensive end of the floor in the second half to hand L-R only its third loss of the season. The Bears shot only 3-of-22 (13.6%) from the field in the second half.
Both teams shot the ball well in the first half, with neither squad able to pull ahead by more than four points at any point in the half. There were five ties and three lead changes in the half, and a running floater in the lane from Rann in the final seconds gave L-R a 32-29 halftime lead.
Newberry opened the second half on an 11-1 run, with Bulcher's layup at the 13:19 mark givign Newberry a 40-33 lead. Mitch's layup at the 10:56 mark was the Bears' first field goal of the half, and one of only two two-point baskets for L-R in the half.
Even with L-R's cold shooting from the field, the game was within reach until the final minutes of the game. L-R cut the lead to two points at the 7:50 mark before Newberry responded with an 8-0 run to push the lead to 10 with 5L52 left.
The Bears cut the lead to seven on a pair of free throws from Denise Moore (Newport News, Va.), but Newberry closed out the game on an 18-4 run to pull away for a crucial victory over the top ranked team in the Southeast Region. Newberry forced turnovers on four straight possessions at the beginning of the run, and the Bears missed shots on five straight possessions, making a comeback attempt impossible.
Alexander scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half, going a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Newberry also outrebounded the Bears by a 25-13 margin in the second half and forced 14 turnovers, nine of which were steals.
Newberry hits the road for only one game next week at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
