NEWBERRY, S.C. - In a wild game with 15 lead changes, a back-and-forth affair between the Newberry Wolves and the Bulldogs of Wingate University ended up with the Wolves coming out on top by a final score of 70-69 in the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. Newberry's record moves to 10-9 with the victory.

After a first quarter in which the Wolves led by as much as seven, Newberry lit it up from both the field and the perimeter, going 6-9 (66.6%) inside the arc and 4-6 (66.6%) from deep in the second quarter. Sophomore guard Courtney Virgo made three of Newberry's triples in the frame. Virgo's second three with 8:41 left in the quarter put the Wolves up 11, forcing a Wingate timeout.

The torrid shooting from the Wolves continued after the stoppage of play. A jumper by redshirt sophomore center Ericka Wiseley with 6:10 left, two more threes, a couple of free throws and a layup by redshirt sophomore center Tyla Stolberg with 00:18 left gave Newberry a 17-point lead. At halftime the Wolves led 42-26.

The Wolves added two more threes to their total from behind the arc, but the visitors came out strong to start the second half, outscoring the Wolves 19-8, making it a three-point game at the end of the third. The fourth quarter was tight the rest of the way, with neither team having more than a two-possession lead.

It appeared as though the visitors would walk out of Eleazer with a win when the Bulldogs hit a three to give them a two-point lead with 1:47 left but Newberry refused to fold. Senior guard Kelsey Brett hit her second three of the quarter 00:22 later to give the Wolves a 66-65 lead. After a Wingate basket, Brett was fouled and hit two free throws with 00:49 left to give Newberry the lead for good at 67-66.

Newberry drew an offensive foul on the next defensive possession, giving them the ball with a one-point lead. With the shot clock about to expire, Virgo hit Newberry's final three of the game, giving the Wolves a four-point lead with 00:11 left and sending the Eleazer crowd into a frenzy. After Wingate hit a three with 0.2 seconds left, Newberry inbounded the ball and the game ended. 

For the game, Virgo scored 18 points on 6-11 (54.5%) shooting in 36 minutes of play. Brett had 14 points on 5-6 (83.3%) shooting and senior guard Keli Romas collected six rebounds and a season-high nine assists in 36 minutes.

Wiseley led the defensive effort for the Wolves with four defensive rebounds and two blocks.

Inside the Boxscore

• Newberry's six blocks is the most in a game this season.

Up next
The Wolves move on to the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Women's Basketball Tournament, hitting the road to take on the No. 2 seed Tusculum Pioneers on Monday. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.