Wise, Va. – The Newberry women's basketball team went on the road to UVA Wise on Wednesday, falling 67-54 after the Cavaliers pulled away in the second half.
After dropping their first four games of the season, the Cavaliers (3-4, 3-2) came into the contest looking to build on their two-game win streak. The night started out as a defensive battle, with the Wolves (1-6, 1-4) playing tight defense and using their superior size to prevent easy buckets.
Newberry got off to a 5-2 lead early on. After Wise gained their first lead off a jumper with 6:05 in the quarter, the Wolves took the lead right back with a jumper on the other end. They led almost the entire period, but they lost the advantage when Wise's Caitlyn Ross hit a buzzer-beating triple to take a 14-12 lead.
The Cavaliers scored again on their first possession of the second quarter, but they would be held scoreless for the next three and a half minutes as the Wolves fired back with a 7-0 run. But Wise then scored nine straight to regain the lead before Newberry's offense heated up again.
The Wolves trimmed the deficit to one point with under a minute in the half before a pair of free throws pushed the score to 27-24 at the break. They were dominant on the glass in the first half, holding a 15-2 advantage in offensive rebounds, but they struggled to convert the opportunities into points, shooting 22.9% from the field, including 1-13 from deep.
While the most of the first three quarters was a back-and-forth affair, the Cavaliers were able to pull away late in the third as they went on a 7-2 run to close the period. After being held under 39% from the field in the first three quarters, they went 9-14 in the fourth to extend their lead even as the Wolves had their most efficient offense late in the contest.
Tyla Stolberg led the Wolves with 13 points, while
Courtney Virgo also hit double figures with 10 points. The Wolves held a 48-40 advantage to rebounds on the night, including an impressive 24 offensive boards.
Giulia Bongiorno hauled in a team-leading nine rebounds to go with seven points, four assists, and three steals.
The Wolves get the weekend off before returning to action on Wednesday, December 8, when they host Queens University of Charlotte at 5:30 p.m.
