NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College women's basketball team controlled the second half in order to come from behind and knock off No. 12 Carson-Newman. Newberry (13-5, 6-2 SAC) trailed at the half but dominated the second period en route to the 67-64 victory and sole possession of first place in the conference.
Carson-Newman (16-3, 6-3 SAC) fell for the third time in as many games after starting the season 16-0. The win lifts Newberry over the Eagles in the South Atlantic Conference standings. Newberry now holds sole-possession of first place in the standings and a half-game lead over second-place Catawba.
Newberry won the game despite being outshot yet again. Newberry shot an impressive .381 (24-63) but was bested by Carson-Newman's .412 (21-51) mark.
Newberry made up for the shooting effort with quality possessions and another dominant rebounding night. Newberry pulled down 40 rebounds in the game compared to 35 for the Eagles. Newberry amassed 15 offensive rebounds and outscored the Eagles 12-5 on second-chance points. Newberry forced 23 Carson-Newman turnovers and scored 28 points off of their miscues.
The game opened sloppily for both teams as they exchanged several turnovers and missed baskets in the early going. The teams combined for 23 turnovers in the first period, 11 of which belonged to Newberry.
Carson-Newman found its rhythm before the scarlet and gray could and opened a 15-4 run that spanned nearly seven minutes of the first half. The Eagles led by as many as 10 points in the first. Newberry battled back down the stretch in order to cut the lead to 31-25 at the end of the half.
Carson-Newman shot an impressive .464 (13-28) from the field in the first half. Newberry posted a .333 (10-30) mark in the opening period. Carson-Newman avoided being charged with a foul into the final minute of the half.
Newberry settled down in the second period and reduced its turnovers in the early going. The scarlet and gray drew within one point before the Eagles went on a run and stretched the lead back to seven with 15:23 remaining.
Newberry, refusing to let the Eagles put the game out of reach, shut down Carson-Newman's offense yet again. The scarlet and gray kept Carson-Newman off of the scoreboard for 3:36 as part of a 17-3 run that put Newberry up 53-46.
Carson-Newman later tied the game at 60-60 with 2:31, but Jessica Bearzatto (Melbourne, Australia) put Newberry back on top for good with a fifteen-foot jump shot seconds later.
Leanne Watson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) posted game-highs in both points and rebounds with 20 and 12, respectively. Watson also added four steals and two assists while shooting 8-8 from the free-throw line.
Anita Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) also completed a double-double, her twelfth of the year. Bulcher scored 15 points and added 10 rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Bearzatto led Newberry in assists for the thirteenth time this season with five.
Newberry takes to the road on short rest to face off against Mars Hill on Wednesday night. Newberry had four scorers in double figures when the scarlet and gray beat Mars Hill (4-16, 1-8 SAC) back on January 6, 2010, in Eleazer Arena. Wednesday's game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
