Box Score by Kevin Buczek
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-Senior guard Nyeshea Willie posted game-high totals of 26 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals for visiting Barton College in an 89-56 non-conference road loss to Winston-Salem State University in NCAA Division II women's hoops action Friday evening in the C.E. Gaines Center.
The Lady Bulldogs slipped to 4-6 overall despite Willie's second double-double. The Lady Rams won for a third consecutive time to improve to 4-2.
Barton will return to action after the holiday break with 16 consecutive Conference Carolinas games beginning at Converse College on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m.
Willie and junior forward Brianna Thomas, who scored 11 points, accounted for 66% of the Lady Bulldogs scoring output that was just one point better than Barton's season low total of 55 points against Elizabeth City State University.
Senior forward Cassandra Brown followed with five points and five rebounds.
WSSU had three double digit scorers en route to a season-high 89 points on sizzling 50.8% (31 of 61) shooting performance. Senior Jasmine Elum tossed in a team-high 17 points; Junior Dionna Scott flirted with a double-double with 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds; and junior Jovanah Graham added 10 points. The Lady Rams made 8 of 14 three-pointers for a dazzling 57.1% marksmanship with reserves Vanessa Weston and Raven Fields each canning a trio of treys for nine points apiece.
Barton scored the contests first three points on a Brown layup and free throw to take its only lead at 3-0 before the Rams took control with precision shooting in the first half. WSSU scored the next eight points to jump ahead and a 3-pointer by junior McKenzie Weston gave the Lady Rams an early 11-5 advantage. The Lady Bulldogs fought back with an 18-12 run to tie the game for the only time at 23-23. Barton's comeback featured seven points by Willie, two consecutive layups by junior Brianna Thomas and a game-tying trey at the top of the arc by junior Kayla Lea.
A pair of made 3-pointers by Elum over the next two minutes put the Rams in front for good at 29-23. Elum's trifectas sparked a 17-4 WSSU surge to close the period. The Lady Rams took a 15-point led in the final minute but an eight-foot floater by Willie in the waning seconds gave Barton some excitement heading into the locker room trailing 40-27.
Willie led all players at the intermission with 11 points but the Lady Bulldogs were held to 34.5% (10 of 29) shooting including just 2 of 9 (22.3%) accuracy from 3-point range.
Winston-Salem State had a hot hand making 51.5% (17 of 33) of its shots including an even more impressive 6 of 11 (54.5%) from behind the arc. Elum and Weston paced the Lady Rams at the midway break with 10 and nine points, respectively. WSSU held a 24-13 advantage on the backboards at halftime with Scott pulling down seven of her nine rebounds in the first half.
The Rams made three layups in the first 70 seconds of the second half and never relinquished momentum and cruised to the 33-point conquest. All 12 WSSU players scored and the Rams held a dominating 50-32 rebounding advantage while committing less turnovers, 28-26, with 19 steals.
Barton shot 31.7% from the field and just 22.2% from long distance.
