NEWBERRY – The 25th-ranked Newberry women's basketball team (11-1, 5-0 SAC) picked up its fifth consecutive South Atlantic Conference victory on Wednesday evening at Eleazer Arena, defeating the Queens Royals (5-7, 0-6 SAC) by a final score of 89-82.
Meg Essex recorded her fifth double-double of the season as the 6-3 center put up 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and pulled down 10 boards. The senior also went 7-of-8 from the free throw line and blocked four shots.
Shelby Britten stayed hot, knocking down five 3-pointers and totaling 24 points. Britten also dished out seven assists, grabbed five rebounds and recorded a steal.
Kelsey McDermott was dominant on the offensive glass as the junior recorded more offensive boards (six) than defensive (five) on her way to recording a career-best 11 total rebounds in the contest.
McDermott's five offensive boards in the first quarter gave way to 10 second chance points where the Wolves amounted an eight-point advantage at the end of the beginning period.
Newberry maintained a five-point lead at the end of halftime and nearly had three players in double-digits as Britten and Essex each recorded 11 and 12 points respectively while
Regan McCarty had nine on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from long range.
The Royals ended up taking the lead after a 3-pointer with 7:06 remaining in the game, but a 10-point swing in the Wolves favor including back-to-back 3-pointers from McDermott and Britten extended Newberry's breathing room and sealed the victory.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- Essex moved into third place on the career scoring list with 1,459 points
- Britten has scored 20 or more points in five straight games
- This is the fifth-time this season Britten has knocked down at least five 3-pointers
- McDermott recorded career-highs in offensive (six), defensive (five) and total rebounds (11) tonight
- The Wolves have shot 70% or better from the free throw line in 10 straight games
UP NEXT:
Newberry will host No. 14 Anderson at Eleazer Arena this Saturday. Tip-off between the two ranked teams will be at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come out early and show their support for the team.
