NEWBERRY – Samantha Creed and Nicola Handreck powered the Newberry offense as the Wolves pulled away late to win its South Atlantic Conference Quarterfinal over Lincoln Memorial, 66-57C

The No. 3 seeded Wolves (19-10, 14-8) held a 54-51 lead with 5:19 remaining in the game and went on a 10-3 run that went until there were only 13 seconds showing on the clock and sealed the win. The run was sparked by a Handreck (Heywood, Vic, Australia) layup and three free throws from Colleen Leung (James Island, S.C.). Handreck cemented the run and the game with a pair of free throws.

In the second half, the score was tied twice and the lead changed twice. Both ties came in the first two minutes of the half and the Railsplitters took a brief lead at 31-29 with 17:07 left. The Wolves went on an 8-0 run to take the lead back at 37-31. Handreck drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to key the surge.

The No. 6 Railsplitters (14-15, 11-11) wouldn’t watch their season close quietly as they battled back using a 7-0 run to make it 47-44 with 7:38 left. Lincoln Memorial and Newberry traded baskets before a 3-pointer from LMU pulled them to 54-51 and the Wolves closed the game with their final run.

Newberry leaned on Creed (Montmorency, Vic, Australia), a first team all-SAC selection, and Handreck, an all-SAC freshman selection. Creed had 20 points, three rebounds and three assists while Handreck posted a career-high 19 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists.

Haylee Lepaio (Bathurst, NSW, Australia), the Wolves other first team all-SAC pick, was solid in the paint for Newberry dropping seven points and nabbing seven boards. Lepaio now sits just two points shy of tying the school’s all-time record for career points. Jaya Schultz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) also had eight points before fouling out.

The Wolves as a team shot 46-percent from the floor for the game including a blistering 50-percent in the second half. Newberry also went 6-for-15 (40-percent) from 3-point range. Handreck surpassed her previous career-high of 16 points, a mark she hit twice.

For the game, the Wolves outscored the Railsplitters 17-6 off turnovers and 8-0 in fast break points. They forced 20 Railsplitters turnovers.

Lincoln Memorial opened the game on a 6-0 run but the Wolves answered with an 11-2 run of their own spanning four minutes in what was a slow start by both teams. The score was just 11-8 with 11:37 left in the first half. The teams would remain within four points of each other until the break with Newberry clinging to a 26-22 lead.

Newberry forced 11 Lincoln Memorial turnovers in the first half and turned it into an 8-2 advantage in points off turnovers. The Wolves also had a 16-8 edge in the paint.

The Wolves will take on No. 7 seed Lenoir-Rhyne, who beat No. 2 seed Wingate 80-69, on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at Timmons Arena in Greenville.