No. 3 Newberry Wins 2015 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship
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GREENVILLE, S.C. - Led by junior Colleen Leung's game-high 17 points, third-seeded Newberry upset No. 1 seed Anderson, 64-58, to claim its third South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship in in school history on Sunday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
With the win, Newberry earned its first tourney title since winning back to-back championships in 2006 and 2007, while Anderson was seeking its second SAC Tournament Championship in three years.
Anderson (26-4), ranked 18th nationally in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll, saw its win streak halted at 18 games and will learn its postseason fate later Sunday night, with the NCAA Selection Show scheduled for 10 p.m.
Newberry improved to 21-10 on the season and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA's Southeast Region Tournament, which is scheduled to begin Friday.
The first-ever meeting between the two teams in the title contest saw Anderson outrebound the Wolves, 50-42, and pull down 21 offensive boards. Newberry was 20-of-53 (37.7 percent) from the field, while the Trojans were 22-of-70 (31.4 percent) on the day.
Leung's career-high effort led all scorers, while Haylee Lepaio posted her second double-double in as many days, with 16 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Freshman Nicola Handreck added 13 points for the Wolves, with junior Samantha Creed chipping in 11 points.
Sophomore Heather Jankowy led Anderson with 12 points, while senior Lesley Woods netted 10 for the Trojans. Junior Jennifer Monroe dropped in seven points and pulled down a game-high 16 boards. Senior Sierra Simpson tallied nine points and four assists.
The matchup featured six ties and nine lead changes, with the Trojans jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead inside the first 66 seconds, as Newberry opened the contest by misfiring on its first three shots. The Wolves' Samantha Creed broke the ice by scoring four straight for the Wolves with a pair of baskets over the next two minutes to knot the score for the first time of the afternoon.
Anderson edged out to a 10-5 lead on the strength of a 6-1 run, while Newberry countered to take its first lead, at 13-12, on a pair of free throws from Lepaio at the 10:45 mark that was part of an overall 12-2 outburst by the Wolves, as Newberry built a 17-12 lead midway through the first half.
With Newberry holding a four-point lead, both teams then suffered a scoring drought of more than three minutes, with Anderson's Heather Jankowy breaking the ice with five consecutive points on a pair of free throws and her first 3-pointer of the contest gave the Trojans a brief 18-17 edge, with the advantage changing hands three times over the next three minutes.
Newberry then closed the half with five unanswered points over the final 2:35 of the frame to take a 28-23 advantage into halftime.
With Newberry holding a five-point, 30-25, lead with 18:13 left in the game, AU went on a 9-3 run and claimed a 34-33 edge, its first lead since the 4:40 mark of the first half, on a short jumper by Alexis Dillard.
The Wolves countered by building a nine-point, 51-42, lead with less than eight minutes on the clock, with the Trojans responding by knotting the score for the sixth time of the afternoon behind a 13-4 surge.
Leung then gave Newberry a lead it would not relinquish, at 58-55, on a 3-pointer from the right wing with 3:17 and the Wolves connected on 4-of-6 free throws inside the final 31.4 seconds to capture the championship.
All Tournament Team
Haylee Lepaio, Newberry (MVP)
Nicola Handreck, Newberry
Samantha Creed, Newberry
Jasmine Franklin, Anderson
Sierra Simpson, Anderson
