NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Newberry College women's basketball team (5-11, 1-5 South Atlantic Conference) dropped their first game back in Eleazer Arena since Dec. 10 to the Carson-Newman Eagles 67-53. The team wore red jerseys for their annual red game benefitting the Ellen 23 foundation.

Redshirt senior center Ericka Wiseley (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) led the Wolves in scoring with 13 points. She also had three rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Holly Davies (Camberley, Surrey, England) was the Wolves second leading scorer with ten points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in the loss. Junior guards Faith Putz (Des Moines, Iowa) and Dyani Burke (Columbia, S.C.) recorded six points each against the Eagles.

Over the first three minutes of the game, the Wolves and Eagles were even with the Wolves' points coming from a layup by Putz and a three pointer from sophomore guard Ella Pearson (Sudbury, Suffolk, England). But the all-too-familiar shooting struggles arose for the Wolves as after Pearson's basket, the Wolves missed five consecutive field goals over the course of almost five minutes while the Eagles scored 10 points of their own to bring their lead to 12-5. Davies broke up the Carson-Newman run with a made jump shot to cut the Eagles' lead to five points and further cut the lead to four points with a made free throw. Over the final three-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter, the Eagles went one for six from the field while the Wolves went one for three. With just one made shot each over that period, the Wolves entered the second quarter down 14-10.

The Wolves and Eagles traded missed shots to open the second quarter before Carson-Newman opened the scoring with a three-point play. Wiseley responded with her first basket of the game. The Eagles then scored four consecutive points as Newberry missed a field goal. The short run was broken up by a made free throw from Wiseley, who went on to score another pair of free throws, giving her the first five points for the Wolves in the second quarter. The Wolves began to close the gap by going on a 9-6 run, cutting the lead to 27-22 with three and a half minutes to play in the opening half. But over that final three-and-a-half minutes, the Wolves and Eagles were deadlocked, scoring four points each. The Wolves went one for five from the field, with that one basket coming from Burke with just 11 seconds to play in the half. With that final even run, the Wolves went into the locker room down five, 31-26.

Entering the second half, the Eagles started the first two minutes with a one-point advantage by sinking a three pointer, as both teams made three shots to open the second half. Over the next two minutes, the Eagles expanded their lead to nine points by creating more shooting opportunities for themselves. The Wolves shooting struggles continued as the Eagles continued to outpace the Wolves 7-4 over the next four minutes. The Wolves defense held strong and forced two missed shots over the final minute-and-a-half of the third quarter, but with the Eagles taking multiple runs in the third quarter, the Wolves entered the final ten minutes of the game down 49-38.

The final quarter did not fare much better for the Wolves who committed seven turnovers in the final ten minutes. The Eagles out scored the Wolves by three points in the fourth quarter, with the lead swelling to as much as 18 points with 2:53 remaining following a three-point play. The Wolves scored the final four points of the game, but with the Eagles edging out Newberry in the first three quarters and the fourth quarter to that point, Carson-Newman secured the win 67-53.

The Wolves are back on the court Wed., Jan. 18, as they host the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears at Eleazer Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 P.M.