Box Score HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Newberry Wolves women’s basketball team suffered a tough defeated on the road on Monday night as they dropped an 86-76 contest to the Lady Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial.
The Wolves used a 20-6 run that was sparked by a Haylee Lepaio (Bathurst, NSW, Australia) jumper and a Zara Pearson 3-pointer from the wing to take a 56-47 the lead just over five minutes into the second half. That would be the largest lead for Newberry all game.
Lepaio led Newberry with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Junior guard Samantha Creed (Montmorency, Vic, Australia) had 18 points in the loss while Zara Pearson added 15 points. Newberry shot 38.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep.
Newberry opened the game on a 6-2 run after a Creed layup and a pair of Pearson baskets. Lincoln Memorial responded with an 11-0 run to take the lead that they would hold for the rest of the half.
After Newberry’s big run, the Railsplitters settled in and made it a contest. A 9-0 run to counter Newberry placed them on top 61-59. The teams would tie the score five times and the lead would end up changing hands six different times during the contest.
Lincoln Memorial, who boast the nation’s best mark by outrebounding opponents on an average of 28 a game, had a 42-31 edge on the glass. The Wolves only committed 11 turnovers and held an advantage on second chance points. They were outscored in the paint though 38-26.
Newberry will have a layoff until Dec. 30th when they will be back in action to play Benedict in their final nonconference matchup of the season at home. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. start.
