by Kevin Buczek
SPARTANBURG, S.C.-The Barton College women's basketball team will hit the hardwood for a game for the first time in 22 days when the Lady Bulldogs begin a string of 16 consecutive Conference Carolinas games at Converse College in Hannah Gym on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Converse sports information will be providing Live Video for Saturday's contest.
Barton basketball fans can follow the Bulldogs throughout the season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter and Facebook.
Barton College Women's Basketball
Barton lost its last two games of 2013 to slip under .500 at 4-6 overall. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Belmont Abbey College and lost to Erskine College to begin December to start 1-1 in league play. BC last fell to Winston-Salem State University, 89-56, on Dec. 13 in the squad's last non-conference game of the season.
Senior guard Nyeshea Willie continues to lead the Lady Bulldogs with 23.3 points per game. The reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Year has scored at least 16 points in all 10 games and has bucketed at least 26 points in each of Barton's last five contests. Willie ranks fifth nationally (thru games Dec. 22) in NCAA Division II in points per game.
Willie also leads the Royal Blue and White with 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 7.6 made free throws per game.
The Lady Bulldogs other four primary starters all produce similar scoring outputs. Junior forward Brianna Thomas paces the pack with 10.8 points; junior guard Ashley Thornton follows with 9.0 points including a team-best 2.2 made 3-pointers per game; senior forward Cassandra Brown nets 8.6 points; and freshman point guard Tiffany Webster tallies 7.7 points.
Thomas and Brown are Barton's top rebounders averaging comparable 7.5 and 7.1 boards per game, respectively. Junior guard Kaila Lea is the only other Lady Bulldog to start a game this season and is averaging 3.9 points. Freshman forward Caila Carter chips in 3.4 points on a team-best 53.8% shooting accuracy.
Barton is one of the nation's best free throw shooting teams ranking 12th out of 287 institutions with 77.7% precision. Willie is the Bulldogs primary contributor from the charity stripe making 90.5% of her freebees to rank 25th nationally individually.
Thornton ranks 27th nationally with a 45.0% shooting touch from behind the arc going 18 for 40 from the perimeter.
Thomas has a team-best three double-doubles and Willie is coming off her second double-double of the season.
The Lady Bulldogs are 2-4 away from home.
Barton is 9-0 against Converse since the Valkyries joined Conference Carolinas before the 2008-09 season including a pair of wins last season. The Lady Bulldogs knocked off Converse 62-48 in Spartanburg, S.C., before rolling 70-39 at home. Willie has averaged 13.2 points per game against the Valkyries in five career games.
Converse College Women's Basketball
The Valkyries remained winless on the season after opening up 2014 with a 94-55 home loss to league foe Mount Olive College on Thursday. Converse (0-10 overall, 0-2 conf.) has lost 42 consecutive games since last defeating King University at home on Feb. 6, 2012.
Sophomore 5-9 forward Margo Dill – a transfer from Spartanburg Methodist College – leads Converse with 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Dill is tied for fourth in the conference in rebounding and has registered three double-doubles.
A trio of Valkyries follows Dill closely in the scoring column including averages of 8.8 points from sophomore guard Brooke Garrison, 8.4 points from freshman guard Shaniece Bruster and 7.1 points from senior center Samira Gillcrese.
The 6-1 Gillcrese was Converse's top scorer a year ago and finished the season ranked fifth in the league in rebounding at 8.9 boards per contest. Gillcrese's rebounding production has been cut to 4.9 boards per game this season with the addition of Dill to the Valkyries lineup.
Senior 6-7 center Avery Winchester adds 5.1 rebounds per game for a tall Converse frontcourt. Winchester is second in the league with 1.5 blocks per game.
Converse ranks last in the conference in several statistical categories including turnovers (25.2), free throw shooting percentage (63.4%), points allowed per game (73.8) and points scored per game (51.2).
Gillcrese averaged 10 points and 9.5 rebounds in two games against Barton last season.
