Box Score by Benny Benton
BANNER ELK, N.C. – Freshmen Tiffany Webster and Shatisha Dukes had the best scoring nights of their young careers and senior Nyeshea Willie scored 18 second-half points to try and lead a Barton College rally, but the Lady Bulldogs dug too deep a hole in the opening minutes against Lees-McRae College and fell, 84-72, to the Bobcats Wednesday night.
Lees-McRae senior guard Lauren Lewis made a nearly NBA-range 3-pointer on the first shot of the game, and the Bobcats never trailed in winning their third straight game to improve to 7-8 overall and 4-2 in Conference Carolinas. Lewis dropped in another 3-pointer two minutes later to give LMC a 7-0 lead against the Lady Bulldogs (7-7, 4-2), who missed their first four shots of the game and turned the ball over three times.
Barton, which saw its three-game win streak come to an end, finally got on the board with a free throw at the 16:57 mark by Webster, who matched the career high she established last Saturday against King. The Lady Bulldogs then used consecutive layups by Webster and Brianna Thomas to pull within two at 7-5. However, those two baskets were the only field goals for Barton in its first 17 shots, allowing Lees-McRae to build an unsurmountable 22-5 advantage with 8:47 left in the half.
The Lady Bulldogs used consecutive layups by Willie to spark an 11-2 run, cutting the deficit to eight with just over six minutes left before intermission. But Barton would get no closer before the break, missing its next four shots and allowing the Bobcats to rebuild a 13-point lead that it took into the locker room.
Trailing 49-37 six minutes into the second period, Barton used a 3-point play by Caila Carter and a 3-pointer from Willie to cut the deficit in half with exactly 12 minutes to play. However, Barton missed its next four shots and turned the ball over twice, allowing LMC to once again pull away.
The Lady Bulldogs made one final late charge in the game, closing again to within six on a Dukes layup with 1:57 left, but Icey Patterson iced the win for the Bobcats with a 3-pointer on LMC's next possession. The victory ended a 16-game losing streak for Lees-McRae against the Lady Bulldogs.
Barton shot just 33 percent for the game (22 of 66), including 4 of 22 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range. Lees-McRae made 46 percent overall (26 of 56), including 6 of 15 (40 percent) from long distance.
In addition to Lewis' strong play, the Bobcats received a double-double of 19 points and game-high 12 rebounds from forward Alyssa Munson. Two other players scored in double-figures for Lees-McRae, Layana De Souza, who had 13, and Patterson, who tallied 11. Kerri Belcher posted 11 rebounds to go with eight points.
Willie, held to just four points in the first half, finished with 22 for Barton, and also added four steals and six rebounds. Dukes came into the contest with 11 points for the season, but scored 14 against the Bobcats and also pulled in a team-high seven rebounds. Ashley Thornton contributed 13 points and Thomas chipped in six boards.
Barton will begin a stretch of five home games in its next six outings with a 5:30 p.m. matchup Saturday in the Dog House against conference co-leader Limestone College.
