Newbury comes out on top of three point dual

Chestnut Hill, Mass. - Thursday night's NECC battle between Newbury and Wheelock turned into a showdown from behind the three point line and it was Newbury who came out on top, snagging the 67-64 point victory at Pine Manor College.

The two teams combined for 53 attempts from behind the arc, with the Nighthawks edging the Wildcats in shots made, 10-9. Kendra Bannister (Stafford, VA) had the hot hand for Newbury, scoring a team-high 18 points, 12 of which came from three point land.

Wheelock's Sarah Brown (Plainville, CT) had her best game of the season, scoring a game-high 23 points, including seven triples in just ten attempts. The Wildcats struggled to take care of the ball however, committing 22 turnovers to just 12 by Newbury. That statistic proved to be the difference in the game, as the Nighthawks turned those miscues into 25 points.

The Wildcats took the first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Brown, but Newbury answered with a 17-4 run capped off by one of Bannister's triples. As the half was winding down and Newbury was looking to take that comfortable lead into the locker room, the Wildcats spun off seven points in the last minute, four from Brown, to cut it to a two-point deficit.

The second half was more of the same, with four ties and two lead changes heading into the final few minutes of play. A Wheelock layup by Kerry Casey (Medford, MA) with 1:37 remaining and the Wildcats forced a turnover to regain possession. But the Newbury defense forced a shot clock violation and Ashley Monteiro (Cambridge, MA) hit a pair of free throws to help seal the win for Newbury.

Katelyn Mark (Quincy, MA) scored 15 points for the Nighthawks, while Shayla White (Dorchester, MA) had 10. For Wheelock, Sharrell Brown (Brooklyn, NY) scored 12 and Joy Holliday (Milford, MA) knocked in 11.