NEWBERRY – The Newberry College women’s basketball team got a dominant win at home on Wednesday night as they defeated the Royals of Queens University, 63-44.

The Wolves were led by senior forward Haylee Lepaio (Bathurst, NSW, Australia) who had 11 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Emily Perry (Nambour, Qld, Australia) also had herself a night as she didn’t miss a single field goal attempt, going 4-4 from 3-point range and finishing with 16 points and three assists. Samantha Creed (Montmorency, Vic, Australia) scored 16 points.

The Wolves (13-6, 9-4) trailed 12-6 early in the first half but used a huge offensive outburst to put together a 19-2 run and storm into the lead. The run started with a Lepaio layup and was capped off with a Perry 3-pointer. The run spanned 7:14 and allowed Newberry to take a 25-12 lead.

Queens (5-13, 3-10) was limited to 1-7 shooting during the run and had a 5:50 scoreless drought. It was only the second lead change of the game and it was the last time the lead would change hands. Newberry would hold a double digit advantage for the remainder of the contest and took a 28-18 lead into the break.

The Wolves assisted on 18 of their 22 baskets during the game and outrebounded the Royals 39-25. The Wolves’ bench outscored the Royals 23-11 after not scoring last game and led 11-4 in second chance points.

In the second half, Newberry slowly built on their lead and eventually used a quick 20-6 run to blow the game open and leave no doubt about the outcome. The run was sparked by a Perry 3-pointer from the wing and took up just under four minutes. At that point, the Wolves led 55-29 with 7:28 remaining.

Newberry would retain a healthy lead for the rest of the contest and 13 Wolves got into the game before it was all said and done.

The win puts Newberry in a tie with Carson-Newman for third place in the SAC standings but the Eagles currently have the nod as they have won the only meeting between the two so far this season.

The Wolves will travel on Saturday for a critical matchup at Anderson who sits second place in the SAC standings with an 11-2 conference record and a 14-3 overall record. The Trojans knocked off Newberry 64-59 back on Dec. 6 in Eleazer Arena.

The game will tip at 2 p.m. and can be heard on WDKD-AM 1240 with Gary Griffith as well as on NewberryWolves.tv.