JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - A 24-point performance by junior guard Neicey Lewis was not enough for the Newberry women's basketball team as the Wolves were knocked off by the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles 62-51 at the Holt Fieldhouse.
Newberry (13-11, 8-8 South Atlantic Conference) and Carson-Newman (14-10, 8-8 SAC) exchanged leads for much of the opening period as the Wolves opened the afternoon on a four-point run, before the Lady Eagles tied the game at 6-6. A Lewis (Riverdale, Ga.) layup put the Wolves back ahead before a Shannon Depew jumper gave the Lady Eagles their first lead of the day.
Carson-Newman's lead was short lived as freshman Emily Perry (Nambour, Queensland, Australia) drilled a 3-pointer putting Newberry up 11-9. After falling behind Lewis hit a 3-point shot of her own. The 3-point make by Lewis gave the Wolves a one-point lead, before the Lady Eagles jumped out to a five-point lead; the largest led by either team in the first half.
Newberry quickly cut into the Lady Eagles lead as freshman Haylee Lepaio (Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia) hit a jumper setting off an eight-point run by Newberry, giving the Wolves a 22-19 lead with 3:14 on the clock. The Wolves lead was the final Newberry lead of the first half, as the Lady Eagles rode a 7-2 run into the break and went to halftime with a 26-24 lead.
The Wolves opened the scoring in the second half on a Lepaio jumper, but was unable to regain the lead until 13:24 in the second half, when Lewis hit a 3-pointer giving the Wolves a one-point advantage.
Newberry's lead at 13:24 was its final of the afternoon, as the Lady Eagles took advantage of missed shots by the Wolves. Carson-Newman led by as many as 15 points before the Wolves cut the final margin down to 11 points as the Lady Eagles finished the game with a 62-51 advantage.
Lewis led all scorers in the game with 24 points, while Lepaio added 12 points. Lepaio, Lewis and sophomore Ellie Gleeson (Albury, New South Wales, Australia) each finished with a team-high seven rebounds.
Newberry hits the road once more on Wednesday when the Wolves travel to Brevard for a 6 p.m. showdown with the Tornados.
