Box Score
by John Hackney
WILSON N.C.-Senior forward Shante Neal scored 24 points and senior guard Elaine Morgan just missed a triple-double again Wednesday night as No. 6 Southeast Region ranked Barton College pulled away for a 74-50 Conference Carolinas conquest of visiting Queens University of Charlotte.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 8-1 in the Dog House and secured their hold on second place in the league standings by hitting 41.2 percent of their shots (28-of-68), including 5-of-12 from 3-point range. Barton is 17-6 overall and 16-3 in the conference while Queens, which had won four straight, departed at 13-10 overall and 11-8 in conference action. Barton visits Erskine College in Due West, S.C., on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m.
Morgan snagged a career-high 14 rebounds, dished off 11 assists and cashed in nine points. She added one steal and only had two turnovers in 35 minutes at the point. Junior guard Nyeshea Willie added 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting; including 3-of-6 from downtown, and junior guard Ashley Thornton hit two 3-pointers in the second half to finish with 10 points.
The Royals, whose only lead was 2-0, struggled against Barton's defense, hitting just 18-of-66 shots for 27.3 percent. Queens was paced by junior guard Melissa Thomas with 13 points and freshman guard Tia Hudgins with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Shatonya Hardy notched six assists. The Lady Bulldogs held reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week Shonice Pettaway to eight points on 4-of-13 shooting.
The first half featured runs by both teams. After Queens netted the opening bucket, Barton took control with a 9-0 run on a layup by Thornton, a jumper by senior post Janae Jackson, a layup by Willie and a 3-pointer by Willie. The Royals pulled within one at 9-8 with a 6-0 run that included baskets by Nikia Squire and Sarah Myatt and two foul shots by Hardy. Barton countered with a 10-3 run, but Queens responded with an 8-0 surge to pull within 25-24 with 5:29 left in the half. However, Barton got the last nine points of the period to lead 34-24 at the break.
Queens got as close as seven points twice in the second half, the final time at 46-39 on a layup by Squire at the 11:57 mark. The Lady Bulldogs put the game away with a 19-2 run from that point. Willie drained two treys, Neal scored six and Thornton nailed a 3-pointer in the decisive run.
Barton finished with a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint and a 21-6 edge in fastbreak points. The Lady Bulldogs also won the rebounding battle 49-45.
"I thought we did an awesome job both offensively and defensively on both ends of the floor tonight," veteran Barton head coach Wendee Saintsing said. "It was good that we didn't have to depend on our defense for a change against a team playing zone. Shante had an outstanding game and Morgan had another good game. It was just a great team effort."
