JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Carson-Newman held off a fourth-quarter rally by Newberry, defeating the Wolves 64-55 last Wednesday in South Atlantic Conference action.

Newberry would get off to a sluggish start in the first quarter and trailed the Eagles 18-11 after 10 minutes. Carson-Newman would make it a 20-11 game in the first minute of the second quarter, but a three-pointer by Payton Cronen and a layup by Ericka Wiseley would make it a four-point game. The teams would continue to battle back and forth throughout the quarter. Alexis Miller would get fouled as she made a layup at the 5:46 mark, and after hitting her free throw, the Wolves would trail 24-21. With the score 28-23, Cronen would hit a three-point basket to cut the deficit to two points. However, the Eagles would close the half on an 8-2 run to take a 38-26 lead into intermission.

Carson-Newman would come out on fire in the second half, increasing their lead to 19 points with 3:13 remaining in the third quarter. A jumper by Cronen would spark a 6-0 run for the Wolves. Mylaysia Gates would hit two free throws, and Keli Romas would drain a basket to finish the scoring and make it 52-39 going into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles would score the first four points of the quarter to increase their lead to 17. Back to back three-point baskets by Cronen would make it a 56-45 game with 7:30 remaining. A layup by Wiseley would cut the deficit to nine. A free throw by Braelyn Wykle would end the scoreless drought by Carson-Newman and make the score 57-47. Wiseley would then score the next five points, and the Wolves would trail 57-52. Qua Hines would hit a three-pointer to increase the Eagle lead to 60-52, but Courtney Virgo would answer with a three-point basket of her own to again cut the deficit to five with 20 seconds remaining. Carson-Newman would hit their four free-throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Inside the Box Score:

• Payton Cronen again surpassed her career-high in points, scoring 19 points on 7-11 shooting from the field and 5-7 from behind the three-point arc.

• Ericka Wiseley added 11 points for the Wolves, five of those coming down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

• Keli Romas led Newberry with four assists.

• Alexis Miller, Courtney Virgo, Mylaysia Gates each had five rebounds to lead the Wolves.