Rebecca Powell of Weaverville bought a Powerball ticket for the first time on Saturday and, hours later, won a $150,000 prize.

“I thought I’d just give it a try,” she said. “The lady at the store told me, ‘You truly have beginner’s luck.’”

Powell, 48, said she has been having trouble processing her big win.

“It’s like a dream,” she said. “Except I haven’t been able to sleep.”

Powell bought the lucky $3 Power Play ticket from the Quickmart 4 on Short Coxe Ave in Asheville.

“When they did the Powerball drawing, I was looking at the numbers and then I screamed at my husband,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Oh my God we won.’”

Her winning ticket matched numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. The prize tripled to $150,000 when the 3X Power Play multiplier hit. One other lucky player, Ronda Isaac of Lincolnton, also won $150,000 in Saturday’s drawing.

“I never would ever think I would win something like this,” Powell said. “I’m going to make this count.”

Powell claimed her prize at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $106,876. She said she wants to buy a car and put some money toward a new home.

Wednesday’s Powerball drawing offers a $360 million jackpot, or $188.7 million in cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Players can buy their Powerball tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $11.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Buncombe County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.