BREVARD, N.C. - The Newberry women's basketball team (10-4, 6-4 SAC) put together an impressive second half to earn their third straight win and sixth conference win, in a 71-49 final at Boshamer Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. 

Brevard (5-9, 1-9 SAC) held an eight-point lead heading into the half due in part to their three-point shooting, which netted the Tornados with 15 of their 35 points after 20 minutes. The Wolves would hit just one shot from beyond the arch, but would hold close, shooting 45.8 percent from the field.

Coming out of halftime, the Wolves bounced back and went on a tear. After three pointers from both teams to open the 3rd quarter, Newberry put their foot on the gas marking a 12-0 run over a 2:55 span. The Wolves would outscore Brevard 31-10 in the third quarter alone, and 44-14 in the second half. Newberry shot over 50 percent in the second half, all while holding the Tornados to just 21.4 percent. 

Meg Essex earned a career-high 31 points in the win topping her season-high by eight points. Her previous career-high was 27 against Belmont Abbey in November of 2015. Essex came down with eight rebounds tying a team-high. The Wolves held a 41-26 advantage on the boards. 

The sophomore would pick up where she left off on Wednesday vs. Coker, blocking five shots which now ranks her first in the conference. Essex held the South Atlantic Conference leading scorer, Madison Lenox, to 12 points on 5-of-21 shooting. Lenox was averaging 20.5 points per game entering the day. 

Essex is already third all-time in school history tallying 127 blocks in 44 games at Newberry. 

Shelby Britten finished the afternoon with 15 points for Newberry to go with six rebounds and four assists. Samara Hill chipped in 12 points of her own to go with three assists and two steals. Three Wolves starters would finish the game in double figures for the 11th time in 14 games. 

Newberry dominated the paint holding the advantage in points in the paint with 40, to Brevard's 22. 

Junior Nicola Handreck finished the game with two points but would prove her importance as the teams floor leader, dishing out a game high nine assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Senior Jaya Schultz ended the afternoon with seven points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

The Wolves will host Catawba on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at Eleazer Arena where the team is 8-1 this season. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m.