MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The Newberry College women's basketball team was held to a season low 43 points as the Wolves were handed a 67-43 loss by Georgia College and State University in game one of the GCSU Holiday Classic.
Newberry (5-4) never led during the contest and couldn't manage to get on the scoreboard until a Briana Johnson (Irmo, S.C.) free throw at the 16:10 mark. The first Newberry field goal came nearly a minute later with a Devanee Taylor (Norfolk, Va.) jumper.
“The bottom line is we just got outplayed,” said Newberry head coach Sean Page. “Not only were we outplayed but we were outhustled, outworked and outcoached by a better team. Our only consolation is that we get to play again tomorrow and have a chance to redeem ourselves.”
Georgia College (7-1) went into the half with a 31-19 lead and came out of the locker room successfully nailing three straight Tammeisha Law (Athens, Ga.) jumpers to make it 37-22. Four more Law points and a five minute Newberry drought did the Wolves in as the Bobcats cruised to victory.
The Wolves struggled to find the bottom of the net all night, going 14-of-51 from the field. Senior Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) was the only player in double-digits for Newberry with 22 points. The second highest scorer for the Wolves, Taylor, scored just five.
Defensively the Wolves gave up a season high 46 rebounds to the Bobcats while collecting just 31 boards themselves. Mckinney grabbed six while Taylor and Leanne Watson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) each had five.
“We need to get back to working hard and playing like we know we can play,” said Page. “If we bring the same effort and intensity into tomorrow that we played with tonight we're going to lose by 30.”
Georgia College was led by Chimere Jordan's (Gray, Ga.) 23 points and seven rebounds and Dominique Huffin's (Tucker, Ga.) 13 points and game high nine rebounds. Huffin also scored her 1,000th career point early in the first half.
Newberry will play its second and final game of the invitational tomorrow at 1 p.m. as the Wolves take on UNC Pembroke.
