NEWBERRY — The Wolves (5-4, 1-2 SAC) hosted No. 15 Carson-Newman (9-0, 2-0 SAC) on Saturday afternoon in a tightly contested matchup, with the Lady Eagles taking the win 71-65.

Newberry came out strong and played an aggressive first half owning the first two periods. The Wolves outscored the Eagles 28-26, which is the fewest points for Carson-Newman in a half this season.

Showing their depth, Newberry’s bench added a season high 15 points. Samara Hill became the ignitor off the bench exploding for a season high 12 points while adding four rebounds and going perfect from the charity stripe.

Courtney Lyons, Regan McCarty and Hannah Lepaio were other active Wolves adding a total of 13 points, five assists and 11 rebounds.

Carson-Newman’s Haris Price and Shelby Britten ended the contest deadlocked at 23 points and two steals.

Britten outwitted Price in other categories as she knocked down four three-pointers, grabbed three rebounds, and assisted her teammates five times.

Another premiere matchup came on the low block as Meg Essex went against Carson-Newman’s Jessica Simerly. Essex shined over her 26 minutes as Simerly was held to 20 minutes of playing time due to fouling out of the game. Essex totaled 17 points, six rebounds, and an assist.

They also moved the ball well notching 15 assists on 25 made field goals. The teams were tied for points in the paint at 28. Newberry held Carson-Newman to a 37.1 field goal percentage, including a paltry 2-for-18 behind the arc, however.

Carson-Newman took the advantage in the second half, claiming those two periods as their own. The Lady Eagles had several members to score in double digit figures, as Kayla Marosites led both teams in rebounds at 15 total.

This game was a true battle as the two teams tied the score 14 times and caused the lead to change 18 times. Carson-Newman took the lead for good at the 3:08 mark on a pair of free throws by Haris Price, which began a 12-5 run over the final three minutes. Neither team could pull away from the other as the matchup stayed a two possession game.

“We played really well again for 38 minutes, but we weren’t able to finish the game,” said Head Coach Sean Page.“I am very proud of the effort, but we need to keep getting better.”

Hill
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_Hill.jpgHill

Staff Report