WISE - -  Carson Newman took a step towards an at large NCAA Tournament berth while ending any hope of postseason play for UVA Wise as the Eagles claimed an 83-70 South Atlantic Conference women's basketball victory at the Prior Center Wednesday.

Carson Newman (20-7, 16-5 SAC) built a 47-30 halftime lead by forcing turnovers and knocking down shots. The Eagles forced 18 first half turnovers which led to 23 points as the visitors scored 16 fast break points in the opening 20 minutes while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor.

UVA Wise (12-15, 8-13 SAC) made a run in the third quarter behind the play of freshman point guard Caitlyn Ross. Ross was a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor in the period as she netted 13 points. Her bucket was less than a minute to play in the quarter made it a 60-52 contest

A Ross 3-pointer with six minutes to go made the score 71-62 in favor of the Eagles, it would be as close as the Cavaliers would get down the stretch. Carson Newman would extend its lead to 15 at 81-66 with less than 3:30 to go with a 10-4 spurt to put the game out of reach.

Carson Newman would finish the game shooting 46.8 percent from the field despite a 5-for-26 showing from beyond the 3-point line. Kayla Marosites led the Eagles with a double-double performance by netting 12 points and grabbing a game-high 21 rebounds.

Marosites was one of four Carson Newman players in double figures in the win as Braelyn Wykle posted a team-high 20 points, Addison Byrd netted 14 points and Harli Smith chipped in 12 points.

UVA Wise junior Ada Stanley recorded the first double-double 0f her career by scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Ross scored all of her game-high 24 points in the loss while Kalee Johnson added 14 points in 32 minutes of play.

The Cavs finished the game shooting 37.7 percent and made just 7-of-26 3-point attempts. However, ultimately the turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.

The loss coupled with Lenoir-Rhyne's win over Mars Hill ended any hope UVA Wise had of advancing to the SAC Tournament. The Bears hold eighth place in the standings and are now a game ahead of the Cavs while having the tiebreaker with a game to play.

The season will conclude Saturday at Coker, tip-off is set for 2 p.m.