Women’s Basketball downs Newberry, 70-68

NEWBERRY, S.C. - Jessica Jones hit the game-winning bucket with 1:13 left in the game to lead Mars Hill over Newberry, 70-68, inside Eleazer Arena. The Lions improve to 9-2 overall, 2-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. The Wolves fall to 6-5 overall, 1-2 in the league.

Brittini Young scored a team-high 20 points and pulled in eight rebounds for Mars Hill. Taylor Deal, the reigning SAC Player of the Week, posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Jones finished with 15 points.

Helen McKinney tallied a game-high 21 points for Newberry. Briana Johnson and Leeara Creet had 15 and 12 points, respectively.

The Wolves jumped out to a 10-point advantage with 9:28 remaining in the first half. A McKinney three-pointer made the score 27-17, but the Lions closed the half outscoring Newberry by a 19-8 margin. Margaret Harvey nailed a jumper as time expired to give Mars Hill a 36-35 lead at halftime.

The Wolves held an eight-point lead with 8:26 left in the second period, but Mars Hill rallied and never trailed for the rest of the game after Deal hit a layup with 1:41 remaining on the clock.

The Lions were 4-15 from behind the arc in the game, while Newberry was 3-16. The Wolves were 19-21 from the free throw line, and Mars Hill was 8-13.

The Lions will travel to Brevard on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.