Box Score
by John Hackney
WILSON, N.C.-Senior guard Jannetta Robinson canned a 10-foot jumper in the lane with 23 seconds left, then Barton College did not allow visiting Lees-McRae College to get off a final shot in posting a 67-66 Conference Carolinas college basketball victory on Saturday night.
The lead changed hands six times in the final three minutes and 19 times overall. Freshman forward Kerri Belcher scored off a give-and-go from Icey Patterson with 1:25 left to put the Bobcats up 66-65, but both teams turned the ball over on their ensuing possessions. After Barton broke for a timeout, sophomore Nyeshea Willie found Robinson cutting across the lane, where she rose above two defenders and swished the eventual game-winner.
Lees-McRae pushed the ball across halfcourt and called a timeout. The Bobcats ran a weave across the top of the key, but never got off a final shot against a focused Lady Bulldogs' defense.
Barton, the three-time defending Conference Carolinas regular-season champ, improved to 11-7 overall and 7-2 in the league. Lees-McRae left at 6-10 overall and 2-8 in conference action. Barton entertains Queens University of Charlotte on Thursday night at 5:30.
Willie finished with a game-high 20 points and a career-best eight steals in the Dog House. She was also 4-of-8 from 3-point land. Junior 5-foot-10 center Janae Jackson totaled 11 points and seven rebounds and Robinson notched 10 points. Junior forward Shante Neal also snared seven boards.
For the Bobcats, Belcher netted 18 points, Paige Whitaker swished 17 and DeAnna Waters scored 10. Chloe Parker and Waters hauled eight rebounds apiece for Lees-McRae, who won the battle of the boards 44-36. The visitors committed 22 turnovers, compared to 14 for Barton, and were outscored 23-8 on points off turnovers.
Barton shot a paltry 27.3 percent in the first half, but managed to stay within 26-25 at intermission after nabbing 11 of its 14 steals.
The Lady Bulldogs took a 4-3 lead on a bucket by Jackson, but Lees-McRae responded with a 9-0 run. A Willie 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 14-13 with 9:42 left in the half and Barton took the lead back at 15-14 on a layup by freshman guard Jadda Jefferies. The lead changed hands five more times before intermission.
The second half was close throughout, with Barton's largest lead coming at 53-45 with 8:57 showing on a layup by junior guard Elaine Morgan. The Lady Bulldogs maintained the lead from the 11-minute mark until the three-minute mark. Belcher's layup made it 62-61 Lees-McRae at 2:45, setting the stage for a thrilling, back-and-forth finish.
