NEWBERRY — On the strength of the sixth double-double of the season for junior center Meg Essex, the Wolves took a 61-50 win over visiting Queens University of Charlotte Wednesday evening at Eleazer Arena.
Newberry played another dominant game, outscoring Queens in every period but one. The game saw just one tie, coming midway through the third period on a free throw by the Royals’ Herning Wang that capped a 10-2 run over the previous five-and-a-half minutes.
The Wolves answered back with an immediate 10-2 run of their own to stifle the Royals’ attempt at a comeback. Georgia Elliott-King knocked down a three-pointer to push the lead to 38-35. Regan McCarty followed suit with a made shot from behind the arc. Moments later, Shelby Britten assisted Hannah Lepaio on a layup to propel Newberry to a 43-37 lead from which they never wavered.
However, the day belonged to Essex, who joined teammate Nicola Handreck in attaining the 1,000-point plateau this season. Her 20 points gave her 1,006 for her career, while her 11 rebounds marked her sixth double-double and seventh game with at least 10 rebounds. she added a pair of blocks and an assist while shooting 4-for-6 at the charity stripe.
Britten tallied 17 points, five assists, four rebounds, and was perfect from the foul line. McCarty aided in the Wolves’ victory with eight rebounds of her own to go along with five points, three steals, and two assists.
The highlight of this matchup was the battle in the paint. Newberry worked the ball inside to result in 34 points, outscoring the Royals by eight from the low block. Lade Adepoju did the bulk of Queens’ damage inside with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Wolves played an unselfish brand of basketball, tallying 16 assists on 24 made field goals. Newberry’s bench posted 14 points, doubling the scoring output of the Royals’ bench.
“This was another good team defensive performance, but we still struggled to find any consistency on offense,” said Head Coach Sean Page. “We did shoot the ball better from the field, the three, and the foul line.”