BELMONT, N.C.—The Limestone Saints (1-0) were able to pull away late from the Newberry Wolves (0-1) on Friday night with a final score of 90-74 in the opening game of the Conference Carolinas-SAC Showdown hosted by the Belmont Abbey Crusaders.

Nicola Handreck
 led the Wolves with 22 points, three assists, was perfect on four free throw attempts, and grabbed four boards. All six of her 12 attempts from the field came from behind the arc. Meg Essex notched her fourth career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a pair of blocked shots and an assist.

Shelby Britten
 added 18 points, a steal, an assist, and two rebounds. Kelsey McDermott shined in her newfound starter role totaling eight points and dished out seven assists. A notable reserve for the Wolves came in Courtney Lyons who gave seven points, one block, and six rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Wolves opened the game with great looks at the basket seeing Regan McCarty dropping a three-pointer on an assist by McDermott. Essex was able to notch a defensive rebound and sink a jumper on the other end to give Newberry a quick 5-0 lead before the Saints scored on seven straight possessions to move into the lead for good.

The first period saw Limestone go on an 11-2 run for almost five minutes but Newberry bounced back in the second to trade punches with the Saints and knock their lead down to a more manageable size. 

McDermott fed Essex on a layup to nab the first points of the second half. The defensive pressure amplified in the second half as turnovers and shooting-woes caused field percentages to drop for both teams. The Wolves cut deep into the Saints' lead, lessening it to eight points. However, Limestone tapped back into the first quarter going on another run this time 15-2. Newberry managed the game from the point on attempting to salt the game away to its final score. 

Limestone scored 22 points off 17 Wolves' turnovers, helping to negate Newberry's 40-25 advantage on the boards. The Saints had four players in double figures with Keidra Smith pouring in 23 points.

Newberry will face the host Crusaders on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the final day of the Conference Carolinas-SAC Showdown.