Mars Hill falls to Newberry in SAC opener
The Mars Hill women's basketball team (1-4, 0-1 SAC) fell to South Atlantic Conference leading Newberry (7-0, 3-0) on the road Saturday afternoon in their conference opener.
NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Mars Hill women's basketball team (1-4, 0-1 SAC) fell to South Atlantic Conference leading Newberry (7-0, 3-0) on the road Saturday afternoon in their conference opener.
The Wolves opened the contest on a 5-0 run, but the Lions would answer back by scoring six of the next eight points to pull within one. Fajhenee Bradford had four points in the stretch. At the 5:48 mark of the first period, Brooke Vilcinskas hit a layup to give the Lions their first and only lead of the contest. Over the final 4:03 of the frame, Newberry reeled off eight straight points to carry a 18-8 edge into the second. Regan McCarty led the Wolves with five points in the period.
With the Lions trailing by 10 midway through the second, a made three-pointer by Tatum Boggs and free throw attempt from Alexis Pardue pulled the game within six, however, Newberry would close out the half on a 6-0 run to enter the half up 28-16. Meg Essex scored six of the Wolves' 10 points while Boggs was responsible for five of the Lions' eight in the period.
The third period saw Essex and Boggs once again lead their teams offensively. Of the Wolves' 17 third period points, Essex was responsible for 10 of them, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor. Boggs once again added five in the frame. The Wolves would expand their lead to 45-29 heading into the final frame.
Newberry outscored the Lions 12-4 in the final 10 minutes of the contest with McCarty scoring half of the Wolves' points. Field goals by Boggs and Pardue made up the Lions' four points in the fourth.
Essex ended the contest with 19 points and 14 rebounds for the double-double. McCarty also finished in double-digits with 15 points. Shelby Britten had a game-high eight assists.
Boggs had a team-high 12 points for the Lions while Mariah Johnson and Vilcinskas led the team with six rebounds apiece. Johnson also added five assists to lead Mars Hill.
The Lions return to action for their conference home opener versus Coker on Saturday, December 8th. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.