Box Score
by Kevin Buczek
SPARTANBURG, S.C.-The Barton College women's basketball team never trailed in a 62-48 Conference Carolinas road victory at Converse College as the Lady Bulldogs easily led head coach Wendee Saintsing to her 400th win on Saturday night in Hannah Gym.
Coach Saintsing reached the 400-win milestone in her 24th season at the helm of the Lady Bulldogs basketball program. Saintsing entered the 2012-13 season 397 victories, which ranked her 20th nationally in wins by Division II active coaches and 46th nationally in all-time wins by DII head coaches. Saintsing also ranks 16th nationally in the last five years in win-loss record by percentage at .764 (110-34). Saintsing has guided Barton to four consecutive Conference Carolinas regular season titles and five NCAA Division II appearances including each of the last two seasons.
"I have been very blessed over the years to have great student-athletes and some awesome assistant coaches," said Coach Saintsing. "It's not about me; it's about this program and what we have been able to do over the course of time. It's all about serving and seeking your mission in this life."
Senior forwards Shante Neal and Jolanda Mitchell scored season-highs of 16 and 15 points, respectively, to lead Barton (3-2 Overall; 3-0 Conf.) to its third consecutive conference win to move over .500 on the season.
Eight different Lady Bulldogs came up with steals as Barton forced the Valkyries (0-4, 0-3) into 35 turnovers. Senior forward Janae Jackson paced the aggressive defense with four thefts. Neal and senior point guard Elaine Morgan each totaled three steals.
A basket by Mitchell off the opening tip followed by a swished three-pointer by junior guard Nyeshea Willie in the opening minute provided Barton with lead from the onset that was never relinquished.
Kayla Garrett poured in a three-pointer at the 13:08 mark to pull Converse to within one possession at 15-12 before the Lady Bulldogs raced away with a 13-3 run over the next nine minutes. Senior guard Ashley Crumel made Barton's fourth steal in the decisive run to set up a layup by Mitchell that capped the surge with BC leading 28-15. Another lay-in by Mitchell down the stretch kept the Lady Bulldogs in front by double digits, 31-21, at halftime.
Barton only shot 28.9-percent in the first period compared to 38.1% by the Valkyries but 16 Converse turnovers led to 15 extra points by the opportunistic Lady Bulldogs. Mitchell led all scorers into the locker room at the intermission with 11 of her 15 points.
The Royal Blue and White scored the first nine points of the second half finished off by two layups and a free throw by Willie to extend the visitors advantage to 40-21. A Jackson jumper with 7:15 on the clock provided Barton with its largest lead of 23 points (60-37) before rolling to its third straight league win by double digits.
Willie registered 10 points; Jackson canned eight; and sophomore forward Brianna Thomas poured in seven. Morgan handed out a game-high five assists. Neal and Jackson pulled down seven rebounds each.
Converse outshot Barton 42.9% (18-42) to 32.4% (24-74) and held a 43-39 rebounding edge but the Lady Bulldogs took 32 more shot attempts with 19 offensive rebounds and 35 Valkyrie mistakes. BC finished with a 30-14 surplus on points off turnovers and a 9-3 gain on second-chance points.
Garrett led three Converse scorers in double figures with 16 points including four 3-pointers. Ashley Long added 15 points including a pair of treys as the Valkyries fired at 54.5% (6-11) precision from three-point distance. Samira Gillcrese chipped in 12 points and nine rebounds while Avery Winchester pulled down a game-high 10 boards.
Barton will return to the hardwood in the Heritage Bank Holiday Classic on Dec. 29-30 in Morrow, Ga., against Lander University on Friday and host No. 5 Clayton State University on Saturday.
