ANDERSON — Newberry (5-5, 1-3 SAC) faded after an uphill battle in the final period to Anderson (8-3, 3-1 SAC) with a final score of 71-51.
The Wolves entered halftime trailing after several attempts to minimize the Trojan lead which stood at 41-34. The first period saw Newberry fall slightly behind at 24-18, but that would ignite a fire within the pack to battle back into the game.
The second and third periods were tightly contested on both ends of the hardwood, but ended with scores of 17-16 and 14-15 respectively. The Wolves wouldn’t go quietly as various members of the pack would knock down crucial baskets to keep the game within arm’s reach.
In the final period, Anderson was able to go on a double digit run with Newberry’s only basket coming on a layup from Meg Essex in the waning seconds of the game.
As a team, the Wolves capitalized on Trojan mishaps scoring 10 points off turnovers while tallying 38 rebounds.
Essex was pitted against the current AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference Women’s Player of the Week in Anderson’s Alexis Dillard for most of the matchup. She led both teams in scoring with 21 points and 10 rebounds, nabbing her third double-double of the season and sixth of her career.
Courtney Lyons, Shelby Britten, Kelsey McDermott and Regan McCarty rallied behind Essex to combine for 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, a block and three steals. The catalysts off the bench were Hannah Lepaio and Samara Hill. The duo posted eight points, a steal, four assists, and 12 rebounds.
The Trojans had four of their five starters score in double digits with Alexy Mollenhauer leading the way at 20 points on the night. Both teams were tied at 26 points in the paint, however.
“We played well for most of the game but were unable to finish.” He continued, “All we can do is keep working and trying to get better,” Head Coach Sean Page said.