NEWBERRY - The Newberry College women's basketball team gave up a season high 76 points to Wingate University as the Bulldogs handed the Wolves their first loss in four games, 76-61.
Newberry (9-6, 4-3 South Atlantic Conference) got off to a rocky start, scoring just one basket, a Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) jumper early in the period, in the first eight minutes of the contest, allowing Wingate (9-6, 4-2 SAC) a 12-2 advantage to start off the game.
Things didn't get much better for the Wolves in the first half as they went into the locker room down 40-17, their largest halftime deficit of the year. Newberry shot just 17.6 percent from the field in the period while the Bulldogs were a lights-out 51.7 percent.
After the lackluster first half the Wolves came out and scored 44 points in the second while holding the Bulldogs to just 36, but it was too little too late as the scarlet and gray were handed their worst loss of the season.
“It;s disappointing to say the least,” said Newberry head coach Sean Page. “The bottom line is in this conference you have to come out and play your best basketball every night if you don't want to get beat and we showed that tonight.”
Despite going 5-of-25 from the floor, McKinney once again led the Wolves in scoring as she earned her second straight double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The senior guard was also a team best 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Briana Johnson (Irmo, S.C.) was the only other Newberry player in double-digits with 14 points.
Junior Keisha Henderson (Columbia, S.C.) continues to be an impact player off the bench for Page's squad. The 5-foot-4 guard picked up three assists and three steals, her 13th in just four games, in 26 minutes worth of playing time. Henderson also took four charges on the defensive side of the ball, three of which all came in less than a minute during the first half.
Once again it was points in the paint that did the Wolves in. Wingate earned 44 points under the rim while Newberry only picked up 10. Wingate also finished the game going 28-of-63 from the field and had four players in double-digits.
“We just weren't good enough on defense to win tonight,” added Page. “We gave up over 70 points for the first time this year to a team we should have beaten. But when you allow a team to shoot like they did tonight, it's going to be hard to beat anybody.”
The Wolves will be back in action as they take on league leading Catawba (11-6, 5-2 SAC) this Saturday, Jan. 22, at 2 p.m. in Eleazer Arena.
