NEWBERRY - A 24-point and 22-rebound performance from junior Haylee Lepaio, was a couple points too little as the Wolves surrendered the lead and the game to Carson-Newman in the final 20 seconds of Saturday's 50-49 loss to the Lady Eagles.

Newberry (15-11, 11-11 SAC) looked in-control of the game early as Lepaio (Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia) combined with seniors Tasia Holdorf (Anchorage, Alaska) and Ellie Gleeson (Albury, New South Wales, Australia) for the first 11 points of the game. Carson-Newman (15-13, 12-10 SAC) scored its first points five minutes into the game on a jumper by Jassmine Franklin.

On multiple occasions the Wolves saw their lead cut into by the Lady Eagles, but were able to counter the Carson-Newman offense with offensive output of their own with the lead reaching 12 at the 11:49 mark on back-to-back buckets from redshirt-sophomore Emily Perry (Nambour, Queensland, Australia) and Lepaio.

The Lady Eagles cut into Newberry's lead over the next few minutes, with the Wolves' advantage shrinking to as few as five points, before Lepaio and Holdorf pushed the Wolves back ahead by nine. Carson-Newman countered with five-straight points, before a jumper from Lepaio with 1:47 left gave Newberry a six-point advantage heading to halftime.

Carson-Newman exited the locker room hot, with the Lady Eagles netting six points to open the half, before Lepaio scored Newberry's first bucket of the second half with 16:17 left in regulation.

Lepaio and Holdorf helped put the Wolves up by four, but Carson-Newman continued to hang around over the opening ten minutes of the second half. It wasn't until junior Kaitlynn Pacholke (Tampa, Fla.) hit a 3-pointer with 11:42 left, that the Wolves would extend their lead to more than five points as Newberry followed Pacholke's triple with five more points before a Lady Eagles make.

Newberry's eight-point lead was short lived as the Lady Eagles cut its deficit to as few as two points. After a pair of free throw makes by Whitney Kyle at 4:29 made the score 43-40 in Newberry's

favor, Lepaio and Holdorf combined for five points over the next few minutes to give Newberry an eight point lead.

Holdorf's 3-pointer was the final time Newberry would score from the field as Kaitlyn Cupples scored off a layup, soon followed by two-straight jumpers from Kyle to pull the Lady Eagles within two.

Holdorf struck once from the free throw line in the final 29 seconds, before a defensive lapse by the Wolves led to four straight points by the Lady Eagles in the final 16 seconds to give Carson-Newman a one-point victory.

Newberry was led by Lepaio's 24 points and 22 rebounds, as the Aussie also recorded a steal and a blocked shot. Holdorf finished with 15 points and three steals. Gleeson wrapped up the regular season with an eight assist outing.

The Wolves next see action in the 2014 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship, with the quarterfinals scheduled for Wednesday evening.