JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Newberry women’s basketball season came to an end on Wednesday night as the Wolves (18-9) were defeated by Carson-Newman (20-9) 85-63 in the South Atlantic Conference Championship quarterfinals.

Capped off by a 22-point second quarter, Carson-Newman forced 17 Newberry turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The first half total for the Wolves was higher than 22 of its previous 26 games this season despite entering the day as one of the top teams in the conference at protecting the basketball.

The Lady Eagles tallied 31 points off Newberry turnovers and took advantage of just one Wolves’ field goal in the second quarter to build a 45-23 lead heading into the break.

Carson-Newman opened up the second half on a 15-0 run, ultimately putting the game out of reach for a Newberry comeback. The Wolves however outscored the Lady Eagles in the final quarter 30-18.

Shelby Britten was the leading scorer for Newberry notching 18 points, her 21st game this season in double figures.

Meg Essex recorded her second double-double of the season in a 12-point, 13-rebound effort in 23 minutes.

After knocking down a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, Nicola Handreck became Newberry’s all-time leader in three-pointers made in a single season, breaking the record of 73 previously held by Laura Marquardt (‘08-09) and Helen McKinney (‘10-11).

Handreck finished the evening with 12 points putting three Newberry starters in double figures for an eye popping 21st time this season.

Despite the loss, the end of the 2016-17 campaign for Newberry was a historic one.

Newberry head coach Sean Page notched career win No. 200 with a win over the Coker Cobras on Feb. 22. Coach Page has made the South Atlantic Conference Tournament every year at Newberry since taking over prior to the 2008-09 season. In his nine seasons at the Wolves helm, the Australian native has had no season under 15 wins.

Meg Essex set a school and SAC record rejecting 13 shots vs. Coker on Jan. 11. The team set a SAC record in that same game with a total of 15 blocks in the win. At the end of her sophomore season, Essex already sits at No. 2 in school history for blocks in a career.

Along with Handreck’s single season three-point record, the junior guard connected on nine shots from beyond the arc vs. Carson-Newman on Jan. 21. The total of nine puts Handreck in a four-way tie for third all-time in the league. The team also tied the SAC record for most threes in a single game with 15.

Other notables for Newberry included a perfect 19 for 19 from the foul stripe in an early season win over Armstrong State, giving the Wolves the team record for free-throw percentage in a single game in conference history. Samara Hill’s 8-of-8 at the line in the same game also broke a SAC record.