No. 3 Newberry Defeats No. 7 Lenoir-Rhyne 58-50 to Move to 2015 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship Final

March 7, 2015

GREENVILLE, S.C. - With three players reaching double figures, third-seeded Newberry defeated No. 7 seed Lenoir-Rhyne, 58-50, in the semifinals of the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship, Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

The Wolves are looking to earn their third overall SAC Tournament title and first since capturing back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007, while Lenoir-Rhyne was making its third straight appearance in the semifinals of the league tournament looking for its third title in school history after claiming championships in 2003 and 2009.

Newberry improved to 20-10 on the season, while making its 10th appearance in the SAC Tournament semifinals in 11 seasons. The Wolves claimed their third win of the season over the Bears after sweeping the regular-season series and advanced to their first title tilt since 2010.

Lenoir-Rhyne (12-16) was aiming for its second consecutive upset of the tourney in its third straight appearance in the SAC semifinals.

The rebounding battle was nearly even, with Lenoir-Rhyne holding a narrow, 37-35, edge on the boards, but Newberry countered with a 28-20 scoring advantage in the paint.

First-Team All-SAC honoree Haley Lepaio led all scorers with 17 points and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds, while Jaya Schultz and Emily Perry each scored 10 points.

Senior Jenni Gust scored 15 points for the Bears, including 11 in the first half, with sophomore Brooke Robinson posting a double-double with 12 points and a game-best 14 boards. Senior Jazmine Charles chipped in 10 points in the setback.

Lenoir-Rhyne jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on back-to-back jumpers from Gust, while Samantha Creed got Newberry on the scoreboard with a basket at the 17:19 mark and Lepaio evening the score at 4-4 on a layup 38 seconds later.

The Bears' Charles later snapped a two-minute drought with a layup and ignited a 7-3 run that resulted in a 13-7 Lenoir-Rhyne advantage. The Bears held the lead until the Wolves' Lepaio connected on a pair of free throws with less than seven minutes left in the half and Jaya Schultz's layup gave Newberry its first lead since the 14:18 mark, at 21-19.

Neither team was able to build more than a four-point lead over the final 6:39, with the Wolves holding a 29-27 halftime lead.

The two squads combined to misfire on their first five shots of the second frame, with Newberry's Schultz breaking the scoreless stretch at the 17:51 mark with a layup. The Wolves maintained the lead and took a 40-33 edge on Colleen Leung's first 3-pointer of the contest.

Newberry steadily built a double-digit 11-point lead, at 48-37, on a basket by Nicola Handreck with 6:44 left, while L-R battled back within four on Gust's 15th point with less than three minutes on the clock and again moments later on Brooke Robinson's two free throws.

But the Wolves were four-for-four from the free throw line inside the final 44 seconds to seal the victory.

Newberry advances to meet top-seeded Anderson, which defeated fourth-seeded Catawba, 63-52, in Saturday afternoon's first semifinal contest. The tournament championship is slated for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.