Newberry, S.C. — The Limestone University Women's Basketball team extended its win streak to 6, with a dramatic finish in Newberry earlier today. Limestone led for most of the second half but gave up the lead in the final two minutes of action. A couple timely buckets by Kalisha Hill and ice-cold Free-Throw shooting by Reagan Kargo saw the Saints take home the win, 78-75. With this win, the Saints improve to 12-8 (8-8 SAC), while the Wolves drop to 5-16 (4-13 SAC).  

Key Players:  

• Kalisha Hill (Saluda, S.C.) was electric for the Saints once more, contributing 26 points on 11-18 shooting from the field, while corralling 4 Rebounds and 3 Steals. 

• Reagan Kargo (Summerfield, N.C.), after a 24-point performance on Wednesday, finished with 23 points today, shooting 3-6 from 3-point range and 10-10 from the Free-Throw Line. 

• Amara Newsom (Kennesaw, Ga.) barely scrapped past a Double-Double performance, finishing with 9 points and 9 boards.  

STORY OF THE GAME:  

First Quarter:  

• The Saints were surprised early by a Newberry team, that came off of a 9-game losing streak and had not won a game since beating Lincoln Memorial on December 14th, but seemed determined to end that streak with a high-energy performance at home. 

• Kalisha Hill started the visiting Saints off with 4 quick points in the paint and Megan Watson (Spartanburg, S.C.) drained a deep ball, but it was Newberry that took an early 15-7 lead midway into the 1st Quarter. 

• Two corner 3s by Reagan Kargo kept Limestone in reach, but the Wolves sat on top at the end of the 1st 19-15. 

Second Quarter:  

• The Wolves, not hesitating to shoot behind the arch, extended that lead to 26-17 early in the 2nd. Newberry would finish the game shooting north of 50% from 3-point range. 

• Then it was the Saints time to get going. Newsom, Kargo and Hill combined for 12 of the next 14 points, which gave the Saints the lead back with 3 minutes to play in the half. 

• Limestone's run could only be stopped by the halftime-horn, as they erupted for 8 points straight to finish First-half action. Graycie Poe (Bicknell. In.) converted a Mid-range jump shot with 5 seconds on the clock to give the Saints a 37-30 lead and all the momentum they could ask for going into the break.  

Third Quarter:  

• But Newberry had different plans and neither team could ever get out to a double digit lead during the course of the game 

• The lead for Limestone hovered between 4 and 9 for most of the 3rd period with Kargo and Hill contributing most of their scoring from the foul line. 

• Towards the end of the penultimate period, Newberry caught fire from deep once more and managed to cut the lead to 1, going into the last quarter with a 56-55 Saints lead. 

Fourth Quarter:  

• A quick layup had the Wolves leading for the first time since the middle of the 2nd quarter, but the Saints showed composure, and Newsom Free Throws, a backdoor-cut by Kargo and a Poe layup put Limestone back in front 62-57. 

• Limestone's offense however lost its rhythm in a critical moment and a couple of Turnovers led to Newberry regaining the lead 69-67 with 01:55 to play. Newberry could rely heavily on performances from their Guards Jess Tomkins and Jayla Cook, who scored 15 off the bench. 

• Critical Free Throws by Dior Shelton (Bluffton, S.C.) tied the game at 70 with a minute to go and a Steal by Graycie Poe on the ensuing Newberry possession gave Coach Corey Fox the chance to draw up a crucial offensive possession for Limestone with a Timeout with 27 seconds to go. 

• Kalisha Hill converted that possession with a clean driving lay-up giving the Saints a 72-70 lead and the Wolves 22 seconds to create their answer. That play, however, never came to fruition, as the Limestone defence created a game-deciding Turnover with 18 seconds on the clock. 

• It was Reagan Kargo's duty to see out Limestone's win at the charity stripe, as Newberry kept the pressure on her with a 3-pointer and a quick layup between her Free Throws. Kargo answered all the questions though and went 6-6 in the final 16 seconds to solidify the victory, 78-75. 

Up Next:  

Limestone will continue its week-long road trip with a visit to Anderson, S.C., where they will face the Trojans of Anderson University for a second time this season on Wednesday, Feb 5th. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM.