Box Score
by John Hackney
WILSON, N.C.-Four Lady Bulldogs scored in double figures Tuesday night as host Barton College rolled past Belmont Abbey 68-48 in Conference Carolinas women's basketball action in the "Dog House."
Barton's 11th straight win over the Crusaders gave it a 9-1 home record this season and clinched the No. 2 seed in next week's conference tournament. The Lady Bulldogs, ranked sixth in the NCAA DII Southeast Region, will host on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Barton stands 19-6 overall and 18-3 in the league while Abbey left at 12-13 overall and 11-10 in the league.
The Lady Bulldogs will tune up for the Conference Carolinas Tournament during Friday's Senior Night in the Dog House against local league rival Mount Olive College. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Barton bolted to leads of 6-0, 23-4 and 27-6 as the Crusaders missed 16 of their first 17 shots. However, the Abbey closed the half with an 18-7 run by making nine of its last 12 field-goal attempts. The Lady Bulldogs led 33-24 at intermission and were still only up 47-36 with 10 minutes left.
The Abbey got as close at eight points, 47-39, before a 13-0 run by the Lady Bulldogs put the game away. Senior 5-foot-10 post Janae Jackson scored on a layup, 5-4 junior guard Ashley Thornton swished a trey, junior guard Nyeshea Willie made a layup, Jackson followed with two inside buckets and Willie finished off the run with a jumper for a commanding 60-39 lead.
Jackson posted game-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds. She hit 8-of-16 shots and made three steals. Thornton was red-hot from downtown, drilling 4-of-5 3-pointers en route to a career-high 16 points. She also had two blocks. Willie and senior point guard Elaine Morgan added 10 points apiece.
Both teams put on an exhibition from the free-throw line. Barton hit 14-of-16 for 87.5 percent and the Abbey was 13-of-14 for 92.9 percent. The Lady Bulldogs were 25-of-56 from the floor for 44.6 percent, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc while Belmont Abbey finished 17-of-54 for 31.5 percent, including a tough 1-of-15 from 3-point land.
The Crusaders got 15 points from freshman guard Morgan Midkiff, 10 points from sophomore forward McKenzie Owen and eight rebounds by junior forward Melisa Foures.
The Abbey was victimized by 20 turnovers and was outscored 38-28 in the paint, but the Abbey's bench did outscore the Lady Bulldogs 23-4. Barton also notched a 21-12 edge in points off turnovers.
