BELMONT, N.C. – Senior guard Keidra Smith (Mebane, N.C.) buried a game-high 23 points to lead the Limestone College women's basketball team to a 90-74 season-opening win over Newberry College in the first game of the Conference Carolinas/SAC Showdown on Friday, November 10.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Limestone 90, Newberry 74   
Records: Limestone (1-0), Newberry (0-1)
Location: Wheeler Center
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Smith went 4-of-7 from long range and pulled down eight rebounds
• Senior guard Jasmine Richardson (Talladega, Ala.) added 19 points
• Junior guard Taylour Hunter (Easley, S.C.) also finished with 19 points
• Sophomore Jayla Morrow (Tucker, Ga.) tallied 10 points off the bench
• Senior forward Aliya Ruffin (Apex, N.C.) posted nine points and eight boards
• Senior Aaliyah Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) collected nine points
• Limestone went 33-of-63 (52.4%) from the field and 12-of-21 (57.1%) from three-point range
• Newberry finished with a 40-25 advantage on the boards
• The Saints forced 17 turnovers for a 22-3 margin in points going the other way

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
The Wolves started the season with five quick points, but Limestone responded with a 10-2 spurt over the next three minutes to jump out to a 10-7 lead. Smith and Hunter both tallied four points apiece during the stretch while Davis added a pair of free throws.
 
Newberry would tie the game at 12-all with 4:58 left, but a long range strike by Ruffin sparked an 11-4 run over the remainder of the period. Smith also connected from long distance as the Saints closed out the opening quarter with a 23-16 advantage.  
 
Second Quarter
 
A triple by Morrow staked the Saints to a 10-point lead early in the second, but the Wolves rattled off four straight points to narrow the margin to 26-20 with 8:08 left in the half. However, back-to-back layups by Davis started a string of nine unanswered points as Limestone pushed the lead to 33-20 a few ticks later.
 
Newberry used a 6-2 run to pull within nine with less than five minutes to play, but consecutive three-pointers by Hunter and Smith gave the Saints their largest lead of the half, 41-26, with 3:17 left. Leading 46-35 in the final seconds, Smith gave Limestone a 13-point cushion at the break with a buzzer-beater.  
 
Third Quarter
 
The Wolves outscored the Blue and Gold 13-8 over the first five minutes of the third quarter, cutting the margin to 56-48, but the Saints pulled away behind a 15-2 spurt to close the period.
 
Hunter drilled a pair of long range bombs during that stretch while Smith added a bucket from downtown as Limestone built up a 71-50 lead at the end of the third. Richardson scored five straight points during the third quarter before Morrow knocked down a jumper to stake the Saints to a 21-point advantage.  
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Refusing to go away quietly, the Wolves closed the gap to 15 behind a 10-4 run over the first three minutes of the final frame. A jumper by Richardson at the 6:43-mark would push the lead back to 17, but three straight points on the other end allowed Newberry to pull within 77-63 just a few seconds later.
 
That would be the closest things would get, however, as two straight buckets by Ruffin helped reestablish a 19-point edge for the Saints with 3:59 to play. Three-pointers by Morrow and Richardson over the final two minutes would then prove to be the finishing touches as Limestone secured the season-opening win.    
 
TURNING POINT
 
Limestone used a couple of runs in the first half to push out to a halftime lead, but Newberry continued to hang around early in the third. However, the Saints began pulling away late in the third as a 15-2 stretch to close the period gave the Blue and Gold a 21-point advantage going into the final frame.  
 
NOTABLES
 

• Limestone won its season-opener for a ninth consecutive year
• Smith posted her fifth career 20-point game
• The Saints have won two of the last three against the Wolves
• Limestone posted a 30-10 advantage in points in the paint

 
UP NEXT
 
Limestone is back in action on Saturday, November 11 as it takes on Coker College in the third game of the Conference Carolinas/SAC Showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.