NEWBERRY - 40-second half points gave the Wolves all they needed as they rallied late to take down No. 23 Tusculum, 62-55.
The win is the fourth straight for the Wolves who now boast a 5-2 overall record and stand at 1-1 in South Atlantic Conference play.
Newberry faltered in the first half, falling behind by as many as 13 points after a Jasmine Gunn (Nashville, Tenn.) three pointer put the Wolves behind, 29-16, with 2:38 left to go in the half. The scarlet and gray ended the first period with a 6-0 run after a Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) free throw, a Briana Johnson (Irmo, S.C.) three and a Jessica Bearzatto (Melbourne, Australia) buzzer beater that put it at 29-22, Tusculum (3-4, 0-1 SAC).
The Wolves continued the offensive run coming out of the locker room, cutting the lead to just one after a McKinney triple with just over 16 minutes to play. Tusculum then took advantage of a Newberry dry spell from the field as they increased the Pioneer lead to 10 after a pair of Fayola Moise (Larchmont, N.Y.) free throws, putting the score at 41-31 in favor of Tusculum with 13:05 left on the clock.
Four straight baskets from the charity stripe brought the Wolves back within striking distance and it was Brittany Brown (Fort Myers, Fla.) who ended the Pioneers lead, tying the game at 43 with just under eight minutes to play. McKinney then made a pair of free throws followed by a Johnson jumper that put the Wolves up four.
Tusculum managed to tie up the game once more but three straight Wolves baskets put the game on ice as Newberry walked away with the win.
“This was really a good team win for us,” said Newberry head coach Sean Page. “You have to give them credit for the first half; they really spread us out and forced us out of our offense. But we went into the locker room and made some adjustments and settled things down once we figured out their defense. We put up 40 points in the second half and that's a lot for us."
Newberry made 19 of its 24 free throw attempts, 18-of-22 in the second half, profiting from 21 Tusculum fouls.
The Wolves were led once again by Mckinney. The team's leading scorer put up 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, earning her second double-double in three games. Johnson and Bearzatto each finished with 13 points with Johnson nabbing nine boards.
Defensively the Wolves once again held a potent offense in check, allowing 30 points to Gunn, the Division II Preseason National Player of the Year, but holding the rest of the Pioneers to just 25 points collectively.
“Ellie Gleeson (New South Wales, Australia) did a great job in keeping Gunn from getting easy shots,” said Page of his freshman guard. “Ellie's a smart player and is really helping us out defensively in our starting line-up.”
Gleeson played 31 minutes during the win, scoring six points and snatching two offensive rebounds.
The Wolves ended their three game homestand going 3-0 and now sit idle until Dec. 16, when Newberry travels to North Georgia for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
