Hickory, N.C.-- Lenoir-Rhyne opened their game against Newberry on a 10-0 run and never looked back, cruising to an 86-51 win inside Shuford Arena this evening.
The Bears had five players finish in double-figures, led by 16 from
Abigail Brown. Lenoir-Rhyne's defense forced the Wolves into 25 turnovers as LR had a season-high 17 steals.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 86, Newberry 51
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (9-4, 5-2 SAC), Newberry (9-4, 3-4 SAC)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Shuford Arena
STORY OF THE GAME:
- LR started and closed the first half with huge runs as the Bears opened the game with a 10-0 run then closed the second quarter on an 11-0 run.
- Abigail Brown scored seven of Lenoir-Rhyne's first 10 points thanks to two jumpers and a three.
- Lenoir-Rhyne's defense was suffocating in the second quarter, holding the Wolves to just 2-17 from the field and four points in the frame.
- Bears were hot from long range in the first half hitting 8 of 12 from beyond the arc.
- Tatum Bowen had three threes and all 11 of her points in the opening half.
- A Trista Charles basket with 3:51 left in the third quarter give LR their biggest of the game at 65-22.
- Lenoir-Rhyne never led by less than 32 in the second half.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- Abigail Brown lead all scorers with 16 points as on 7-14 shooting from the floor.
- Elyseia Brown added 14 points and three steals.
- Aaliyah El had 12 points and five dimes while Amiya Porter equaled her with five assists.
- Lauren Arnold had a career high five steals tonight as the Bears had a season-high 17 steals.
- The Bears went 31-66 (47%) from the field and 12-29 (41.4%) from three.
- The Wolves were held to just 20-59 from the field and 2-15 (13.3%) from three.
- Bears scored 36 of their 86 points off 25 Newberry turnovers.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Shuford Arena has not been friendly to the Wolves as Newberry have lost their last eight here in Hickory.
- Despite only scoring 12 points tonight, El still leads the SAC in scoring with a 19.8 average.
- Amiya Porter's five assists tonight moved her to top of the leader board in the SAC as well with 55 assists this season.
UP NEXT: The Bears host Carson-Newman inside Shuford Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles won their 10th game of the season and moved to 6-1 in the SAC with their 105-63 over Emory & Henry tonight. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from Hickory.