Newberry, S.C. – Newberry women's basketball brought the Limestone Saints to town on Saturday, playing a tightly contested first half before the Saints pulled away in the third quarter.
 
Three days after putting up 82 points at Mars Hill, the Wolves' offense got off to a much slower start. They turned the ball over several times in the first few minutes, allowing Limestone to jump to an 8-2 lead.
 
Midway through the first quarter, the offense received a jumpstart when Giulia Bongiorno hit jumpers on back-to-back possessions. As both teams struggled from range, forward Mylaysia Gates came off the bench and provided an immediate spark, collecting a steal and driving into the paint for two layups to tie the score up at 10.
 
With both teams playing solid defense, points were no easier to come by in the second quarter. Bongiorno scored six more in the period but the team was unable to connect on any of their first eight shots from beyond the arc.
 
The Saints meanwhile, hit two triples in the quarter but struggled shooting overall as they were held to 4-15 from the field. Both teams scored 12 in the second as the Saints went into halftime with a two-point advantage.
 
After playing a closely contested first half, the Wolves couldn't keep up with the Saints in the third quarter. Limestone guard Quin Byrd scored six points in the paint in the opening two minutes to extend the lead to eight.
 
The Wolves, meanwhile, who came into the night averaging eight three-pointers made per game, went cold. They generated some good looks from range in the half-court but could not get the shots to fall. With the Saints making seven field goals to the Wolves' one in the quarter, the deficit turned into 14 points entering the fourth.
 
After the team went 0-15 from range to that point, Gates finally connected from deep early in the fourth. The teams went blow-for-blow in the period as Newberry's offense started to click again but they could not cut into the deficit as both teams recorded 13 points on the frame.
 
With the Wolves cold from range on the night, they did most of their damage in the paint, where they scored 20 points. For the fourth straight game they outrebounded their opponent as they collected 13 off the offensive glass and 44 overall.
 
Gates finished the night with 14 points and nine rebounds, falling one board shy of a second consecutive double-double. Bongiorno also finished in double figures with 11 points, followed by Ericka Wiseley with nine and Tyla Stolberg, who scored seven to go along with 10 rebounds.
 
The Wolves continue their season at Wingate on Tuesday, November 23. The game is set to tip off at 4:30 p.m.