NEWBERRY, S.C. --- Newberry College outscored Tusculum University 21-2 in the second quarter and went on to claim a 55-44 victory in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball Saturday afternoon at Eleazer Arena.
Payton Cronen led the Wolves (4-6, 2-2 SAC) with a game-high 17 points, but Newberry shot just 31.9 percent (22-for-69) from the field including 3-for-22 from three-point range. Ryian Howard added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds off the bench, with eight of her boards on the offensive glass.
Nae Marion finished with 11 points and nine rebounds for the second consecutive game to lead the Pioneers (3-6, 1-3 SAC), but she was the only player to reach double figures for Tusculum. The Pioneers shot 27.4 percent (17-for-63) from the field and committed 24 turnovers which led to 21 points for the Wolves.
Tusculum led 12-9 after one quarter, but went just 1-for-18 from the floor in the second quarter as Newberry took a 30-14 lead at halftime. The Pioneers would trail by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter, but rallied to within 48-40 with 5:56 left before the Wolves put the game away at the foul line.
Newberry outrebounded Tusculum 49-45 in the game, with the Wolves collecting 21 offensive rebounds which they turned into 14 second-chance points. Newberry had 19 turnovers in the game but had six blocked shots, including three from April Rummery-Lamb.
Tusculum fell behind 7-0 after three minutes, but came back to tie the game at 9-9 on a three-pointer from Faith Diggs with 1:31 left in the opening quarter. The Pioneers ended the period on a 12-2 run to take a 12-9 lead into the second quarter.
Newberry went on a 14-0 run to start the second quarter, including a three-point play from Deshona Gaither that gave the Wolves a 23-12 lead with 5:25 left in the first half. A jumper by Marion with just over five minutes left would be the only points of the quarter for the Pioneers, who saw the Wolves run off the final seven points to take a 30-14 lead at intermission.
Cronen had a game-high 12 points in the first half for Newberry, which shot 32.5 percent (13-for-40) from the field but held a 33-22 advantage in rebounding over the Pioneers. Marion had four points and four rebounds to lead Tusculum in the opening half, as the Pioneers were just 6-for-34 (17.6 percent) from the field as a team.
Tusculum was able to cut the deficit to 32-22 on a pair of baskets from Ni'Kiah Chesterfield in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the third quarter. However, Rummery-Lamb had six of her 11 points in the third period and a late three-pointer from Cronen sent the Wolves to the fourth quarter holding a 44-29 advantage.
Lexi Patty scored four points in the opening minute of the fourth for the Pioneers, and a three-pointer from Faith Silva brought Tusculum to within 46-36 with 8:05 to go. Two free throws from Marion after a basket from Carleigh Wilson trimmed Newberry's lead to 48-38 with 6:08 remaining, but neither team would score a field goal after a Patty layup with 2:04 left left the Pioneers trailing 53-44.
Chesterfield finished with eight points and five rebounds for the Pioneers, while Wilson had six points and seven rebounds and Patty added six points and five boards.
Tusculum will be back on the court in two weeks when the Pioneers visit Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, December 30 at 2 p.m. The Hurricanes defeated the host Pioneers 95-70 in the first meeting of the season between the schools on Nov. 25.
