Box Score by Kevin Buczek
DUE WEST, S.C.-Junior Haleigh Spaulding laid in the game-winning transition basket off the left backboard as time was expiring after Barton College missed three consecutive free throws to potentially take the lead in the final seconds to lift host Erskine College to a dramatic 63-61 Conference Carolinas women's basketball victory on Saturday evening in Belk Arena.
The Lady Bulldogs held a late 61-57 lead but were held scoreless over the final four minutes as the Flying Fleet scored the showdowns final six points.
Erskine (11-6 overall, 6-3 conf.) moved ahead of Barton (8-9, 5-4) in the league standings by completing the season series sweep.
Senior Nyeshea Willie, who entered the game ranked fifth nationally in scoring, bucketed a game-high 32 points for the Lady Bulldogs but was held without a point over the final 10 minutes including missing the three straight free throws with the clock under 10 seconds. Willie also had a game-high four steals.
Barton freshman Tiffany Webster scored half of her 12 points from the free throw line and made a team-high four assists. Classmate Caila Carter chipped in eight points and five rebounds while junior Brianna Thomas tallied five points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Erskine doubled up the Lady Bulldogs, 26-13, in the early going with a trio of Fleet players accounting for all 26 points. Junior Tara Potter scored the game's first two baskets and had seven points before being whistled for her third foul in the first 10 minutes. Reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week Raygon Hendrix scored 11 of EC's first 26 points including a pair of three-pointers while freshman Kristin Giles capped the opening run with two consecutive layups. Giles had eight points when she increased the Flying Fleet's advantage to 13 points at the 8:29 mark.
Barton made 3 of 4 free throws over the next 90 seconds but a senior Jana Dixon lay-in kept the hosts advantage at 13 points (29-16). Willie ended the Lady Bulldogs drought with a 3-point with 6:35 on the clock. It marked the first Barton field goal in over 4 1/2 minutes and sparked a quick 7-0 rally by Barton. Webster added two free throws before a Willie steal and transition layup capped the quick outburst. The Lady Bulldogs kept the momentum and finished the period on a 17-8 rally. Freshman Danielle Pray banked in a floater on Barton's final possession of the half to cut the halftime deficit to just four points at 37-33.
Erskine shot 56% in the first half compared to 38.5% by the Lady Bulldogs but the Fleet committed nearly twice as many turnovers, 13-7, allowing Barton to rally with 10 points off mistakes.
Willie had 19 points at the intermission. Hendrix and Giles paced Erskine at the break with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
BC started the second half on a 9-4 run. Willie's hoop at the 16:13 mark finished off the run to give Barton a 42-41 lead, which was the Lady Bulldogs first advantage since the score was 9-7 early in the first half.
The Flying Fleet outscored the Bulldogs, 13-6, over the next six minutes to regain a six-point advantage. However, Willie nailed a pair of 3-pointers in a 30-second window to level the score at 54-54 as the clock ticked inside 10 minutes.
Two consecutive jumpers by Carter and Webster kept the momentum on the side of the lady Bulldogs. Erskine pulled to within one making 3 of 4 free throws but Barton extended its lead to four points on a Webster free throw and another Carter layup. However, the Carter hoop proved to be the Lady Bulldogs last points with 4:12 to play.
Giles cut the Erskine deficit in half with two free throws at the 3:25 mark. Both teams would then go cold for nearly the next three minutes until a Potter layup with 33.6 ticks left deadlocked the score for a fourth and final time. Barton attempted to kill most of the clock when Giles nearly came up with a steal. However, she was whistled for the foul and EC's coaching staff was given a technical arguing the foul call.
Willie missed both technical shots after a lengthy stop with five seconds on the clock and then missed the front end of the 1-and-1 from the initial foul. Dixon rebounded the missed free throw and quickly got the ball to Hendrix, who then found Spaulding on the wing. Spaulding then raced up the left side of the court and successfully laying-in the winning shot as the final buzzer sounded.
Erskine cooled off to 26.5% in the second half but still finished shooting 39.0%. Barton fired at 37.5% from the field but had a disappointing night from the charity stripe making just 14 of 24 (58.3%). The Lady Bulldogs entered the game ranked as the league's best free throw shooting squad.
Giles (18 points), Hendrix (16) and Potter (11) all reached double figures for the Flying Fleet. Hendrix paced Erskine with five assists and three steals. Dixon pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with eight points.
Barton returns home for a Conference Carolinas clash against local rival Mount Olive College on Wednesday. Tipoff in the Dog House is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
