WINGATE, N.C. - After using her true freshman season as a redshirt season, Newberry's Samantha Creed took to the court for the first time in her career and recorded an outstanding debut performance as she scored 28 points and added four assists and four rebounds in the Wolves 64-58 season opening victory over the UNC Pembroke Lady Braves at the OrthoCarolina Classic played at Cuddy Arena.
Creed (Montmorency, Victoria, Australia) helped get things started for the Wolves (1-0) when she recorded a steal and an assist as senior Kendra Brown (Swansea, S.C.) scored Newberry's first points of the season. The Wolves and Lady Braves (0-1) exchanged baskets for the opening ten minutes of the game, before a layup and free throw make from Creed set the Wolves on a 10-point run.
A redshirt freshman, Creed followed the three-point play with a traditional 3-point make, before the Wolves saw baskets scored by sophomores Zara Pearson (Echuca, Victoria, Australia) and Haylee Lepaio (Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia) to put Newberry up 21-11.
UNC Pembroke cut into the Newberry lead, before the Wolves took off again when junior Ellie Gleeson (Albury, New South Wales, Australia) hit from beyond the arc. Pearson soon matched Gleeson's 3-point make and put the Wolves up by 13. After leading by 13 for the second time, the Wolves saw the Lady Braves hit late in the half which sent the Wolves to the locker room with a 31-20 halftime lead.
Newberry opened the second half strong, seeing its lead reach a 12-point discrepancy with a little over six minutes to go when junior Tasia Holdorf (Anchorage, Alaska) make a 3-pointer of her own.
UNC Pembroke answered with a 10-point run of its own, cutting the Wolves lead down to two. Newberry showed an early season ability to hold a late lead, when Newberry extended its lead to eight points, before escaping with a six-point victory over the Lady Braves.
Creed's debut saw her hit six times from beyond the arc, while recording 28 points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Lepaio added ten points, while pulling down eight rebounds.
Newberry returns to Cuddy Arena on the campus of Wingate University on Sunday for a 3 p.m. meeting with the Montevallo Falcons (0-1).
