HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (14-9, 11-7 SAC) saw a second half comeback evaporate as Newberry (13-11, 12-6 SAC) mounted a comeback of their own to force overtime and eventually escape the Tex Turner Arena with an 80-71 win Saturday afternoon.

Megan Pittman (Liberty, Ky.) led the Lady Railsplitters with her 11th double-double of the season as she had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Britney Guy (Locust Grove, Ga.) added in 14 points and three assists while Shea Coker (Knoxville, Tenn.)had 10 points.

LMU shot 39.7% (29-73) from the field, 14.3% (2-14) from behind the three-point arc and 68.8% (11-16) from the free throw line. The Lady Railsplitters out-rebounded the Wolves 48-45. 

The Lady Railsplitters led for nearly the entire first quarter as they shot 58 percent in the frame. Jasmine Kelly (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) got things going as she took the tipoff and drove it straight to the basket to put LMU up 2-0. A jumper by Kiara Rawls (Killeen, Texas) put LMU up by six and they would hold that advantage while trading baskets for the next several minutes. Newberry used scoring from Samantha Creed to chip away at the lead and eventually tie the score with 29 seconds left as Brandi Hall drove into the paint and hit the short jump shot. Pittman would put LMU ahead 21-19 with a turnaround layup with 16 seconds remaining only to see the Wolves take it down the court and tie the game with 0.3 seconds left on a layup by Nicola Handreck, who was fouled. Handreck converted the free throw to take a 22-21 lead into the second period.

Both teams started the second quarter ice cold as neither team was able to score any points for almost four minutes. A free throw by NC's Meg Essex eventually broke the drought at the 6:07 mark. Baskets by Stephanie Smith (La Vergne, Tenn.) and Coker gave the Lady Railsplitters a 25-23 advantage a couple minutes later. A pair of Creed free throws sparked a 7-0 run by the Wolves that was eventually ended by a three-pointer from Coker but NC took a 30-28 lead into the half.

The Wolves would extend their lead in the third quarter before LMU mounted a run of their own, eventually taking a 39-38 lead after a three-pointer by Karsen Sims (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) with 1:56 left in the third. The run would extend into the fourth period as the Lady Railsplitters would outscore the Wolves 15-0 over a four minute stretch and take a 49-38 lead with 9:48 remaining in the game. Newberry then scored nine unanswered points to cut the LMU lead to 49-47 at the 8:11 mark. The Lady Railsplitters then slowly extended the lead back to seven following a Guy layup and held the lead until the 2:14 mark when a pair of free throws by Essex tied the game for the fifth time at 62-62. The teams would trade points only to see the score tied 66-66 at the end of regulation.

A Pittman layup would give LMU the early advantage in the overtime, only too see Creed tie the game again with a layup of her own. After LMU took a 69-68 lead with 2:53 remaining in the overtime, a three-pointer by Emily Perry put the Wolves up by two. The Lady Railsplitters then had three looks at the basket before Newberry fouled Kelly, who hit one of two to cut the lead to 71-70 with 1:47 remaining. The Wolves went up by four after Essex hit the basket and one with 1:20 left. Pittman's shot attempt on LMU's next possession was blocked and rebounded by Newberry so the Lady Railsplitters were forced to foul. Newberry hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 80-71 victory.

Handreck led the Wolves with 25 points. Essex added in 17 points and seven rebounds, Perry had 13 points and Creed scored 11. Newberry shot 32.8% (22-67) from the field, 27.8% (5-18) from three-point range and 83.8% (31-37) from the free throw line. 

Quick Hits
Pittman's 12 rebounds moved her to 18th on the LMU career rebounding list.... This was the first overtime game in the series.... LMU falls to 17-7 all-time against Newberry.... Points in the paint - Both tied at 30... Points off turnovers - Newberry 16, LMU 3... Second chance points - LMU 12, Newberry 11.... Bench points - Newberry 27, LMU 22.

Up Next
The Lady Railsplitters look to avenge an eight point loss back on January 6th to Mars Hill as the Lions come to the Tex Turner Arena for a 6 p.m. Wednesday night tip-off. The Lions come into the contest having won five out of their last six games, including a 72-58 win at Queens earlier today.