GAFFNEY- The Newberry College women’s basketball team defeated Belmont Abbey, 87-56, at the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge on Friday night.

Meg Essex got the Wolves on the board first with a layup off a pass from Emily Perry just 19 seconds in. Nicola Handreck scored for Newberry a minute later with a layup for a 4-0 lead.  Four minutes into the game, Handreck scored again by sinking a jumper (11-4) with the assist given to Perry. About a minute later, Hannah Lepaio made a layup to increase Newberry’s lead to 13-9.

Scoring was quiet for the Wolves for the next two minutes until Colleen Leung bumped the score to 15-12 off a jumper. At the 2:34 mark in the first quarter, Essex made another layup off Samara Hill’s pass, followed by a layup from Jaya Schultz. Handreck scored the last shot for the Wolves in the first quarter for the 22-16 lead.

The Wolves started the second quarter hot when Hill scored Newberry’s first 3-pointer of the game. Handreck kept the Wolves lead with a jumper in the paint followed by a layup at the 8:15 mark. Handreck scored again exactly one minute later with a shot from the arch for a 32-18 lead. At 4:55 Handreck dropped another 3-pointer for a 38-22 lead.

Schultz put three up on the board for Newberry off a layup and one free throw with 2:57 left until halftime. Perry scored two free throws with 90 seconds left, followed by Essex who scored two layups in the last minute.

Going into the third quarter, Newberry had a 53-31 lead over the Crusaders.

In the third quarter Essex scored the first six points for Newberry off layups in the first three minutes. At the 4:50 mark Essex hit a jumper in the paint followed by a layup 42 seconds later. Handreck gave the Wolves a 20 point lead with a layup with 2:18 left. In the last minute of the quarter, Kirsten Dunsmore made a jumper and Schultz made a fast break layup for a 69-45 lead.

Newberry scored its first basket at the 6:20 mark from Perry’s fast break layup. Essex followed with a layup a minute later. In the last 2:42 of the game, Newberry sank three 3-pointers. Essex made one at 2:42, Emily McElveen made one at 1:34, and Brittany Singleton closed the game with one.

For the game, Essex dropped 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had one steal and one block. Handreck scored 20 points, followed by Schultz who scored 13. As a team, Newberry grabbed 48 rebounds, made six steals, and shot 45.6% from the field and 21.4% from arch.

The Wolves will play No. 11 Limestone on Saturday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. Newberry is then on the road again on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C. The game will start at 6 p.m.