Box Score by Kevin Buczek
GREENWOOD, S.C.-Barton College was held to 28.1-percent shooting in a 64-52 loss to No. 17 University of South Carolina at Aiken on Sunday afternoon in the Lady Bearcat Tipoff Classic at Lander University's Finis Horne Arena.
The Pacers (2-1) shot 51.9% and out-rebounded the Lady Bulldogs (1-1) by a commanding 47-30 margin. Hannah DeGraffinreed scored a game-high 17 points and Kayla Harris added a double-double to pace USC Aiken.
The Pacers bounced back from Saturday's final seconds loss to Ferris State in the Tipoff Classic while Barton was unable to carry over momentum from its two-point win over No. 10 Lander on Saturday. Lander defeated Ferris State in the final game Sunday as all four teams went 1-1 in the Lady Bearcat Tipoff Classic.
DeGraffinreed made eight of 11 shots from the floor to lead Aiken. Harris added 14 points as well as game highs in rebounds (12) and assists (seven). Twelve of her points came in the second half. Mia Antoine added 12 points for the Pacers while Daniela Tarailo scored 10. Lindsay Sundberg had seven rebounds while DeGraffinreed grabbed six.
Junior 5-foot-10 forward Jolanda Mitchell filled up the box score for Barton with eight rebounds, six points, four steals, three assists and one block. Sophomore Nyeshea Willie (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the Bulldogs with 13 points and six steals. The junior tandem of Faith Hunter (Raleigh, N.C.) and Shante Neal (Spring Hope, N.C.) each netted eight points.
Aiken, which led all but one minute of the game, made 27 of 52 shots from the floor (52 percent), seven of 13 free throws (54 percent), and three of six from 3-point range (50 percent).
Barton hit 18 of 64 shots (28 percent), 14 of 18 free throws (78 percent), and two of nine from behind the arc (22 percent). The Bulldogs' only statistical advantage was in turnovers. They forced 26 Aiken turnovers while committing 13.
Aiken took an 8-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game, but went almost eight minutes before scoring again. Willie's jumper gave Barton its first lead at 9-8 at the 11:13 mark. It would turn out to be the team's only lead of the game.
DeGraffinreed's inside basket ended the scoring drought, putting the Pacers back on top, 10-9, with 10:13 left. Tarailo hit the game's first 3-pointer, giving Aiken a 17-13 lead with 6:35 to go, and Antoine's three-point play increased the lead to 22-17.
Porsha Martin scored inside on consecutive possessions, handing the Pacers their largest lead of the first half at 26-17 with 3:26 left. Mitchell's free throws cut Barton's deficit to 28-23 with 59 seconds remaining. But Sundberg's three-point play with 31 seconds left gave Aiken a 31-23 halftime lead.
Tarailo's jumper two minutes into the second half gave the Pacers their first double-digit lead at 35-24. But what followed was a long scoreless drought on both ends of the court. Barton senior Jannetta Robinson (Willard, N.C.) hit one free throw to make it 35-25 at the 17:40 mark, and neither team scored again until 13:09 was left when Mitchell made the Bulldogs' first field goal of the second half.
Hunter's 3-pointer, Barton's first from behind the arc in the game, cut the deficit to 37-30 with 12:46 to go. The Pacers responded by building their lead back into double digits when Harris scored inside and Brittany Hill made a back-door layup off a pass from DeGraffinreed for a 41-30 advantage at the 11:34 mark.
The action picked up at around the seven-minute mark when Willie's 3-pointer from the right wing pulled the Bulldogs within 46-39, Tarailo answered with a 3-pointer for Aiken, then Barton junior Elaine Morgan (Raleigh, N.C.) sliced inside and made a nice pass to junior Janae Jackson (Fort Belvoir, Va.) for a layup.
Robinson's driving layup gave Barton its smallest deficit of the second half at six points, 49-43, with 5:50 to go. But Antoine's 3-pointer bumped Aiken's lead back to nine. Willie hit two free throws to pull the Bulldogs within 52-47 at the 4:23 mark. But Antoine once again responded with a 3-pointer from the same spot on the floor to give Aiken a 54-47 advantage with 4:10 left.
After a scoreless trip for Barton, DeGraffinreed pulled off another back-door assist, this one to Harris, to make it 56-47 with 3:22 to go. After an exchange of free throws, DeGraffinreed out-jumped a Barton defender for a pass near mid-court and drove in for a layup to restore the Pacers' double-figure lead at 60-50 with two minutes left. Harris hit a jumper at the 1:29 mark and made a layup with the shot clock winding down with 30 seconds to go to complete the scoring.
Barton – preseason ranked No. 21 by the Women's DII Bulletin – will next play in the Comfort Suites Classic hosted by Catawba College. The Lady Bulldogs will first have a chance to avenge Sunday's loss with another encounter with USC Aiken on Saturday at 4 p.m., before batting the host Indians on Sunday at 2 p.m.
