Box Score by Kevin Buczek
SPARTANBURG, S.C.-Senior guard Nyeshea Willie scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the second half as Barton College pulled away to a 68-55 Conference Carolinas women's basketball road win at Converse College on Saturday afternoon in Hannah Gym.
The Lady Bulldogs only led by one point at halftime shooting 23.7% in the first half but heated up to 40.6% in the second half to secure the 13-point victory over the winless Valkyries. Barton (5-6 overall, 2-1 conf.) has defeated Converse (0-11, 0-3) 10 consecutive times since the Valkyries joined Conference Carolinas in 2008. Converse has lost 43 straight games.
Willie, who ranks fifth in the nation in scoring with 23 points per game, only made 2 of 11 field goals in the opening period for just five points but the All-Region performer reached her season average swishing 6 of 10 shots from the floor and all six of her free throws after the intermission.
Barton's backcourt accounted for most of its scoring with senior sharpshooter Ashley Thornton pouring in 14 points that featured a trio of treys. Freshman point guard Tiffany Webster was a third Royal Blue and White player to reach double figures with 10 points.
The Lady Bulldogs finished with a slight 55-52 rebounding edge in the contest that witnessed 96 missed field goals.
Junior forward Brianna Thomas helped Barton win the battle of the boards with a game- and career-high 18 rebounds. Senior forward Cassandra Brown followed with 14 Bulldog boards.
Thomas was one point shy of her fourth double-double.
Freshman Erin Horne scored on the game's opening possession and the host Valkyries led for nearly the first six minutes. Converse led 8-5 after another hoop by Horne before Barton rattled off the next nine points to take its first lead at 14-8. The run was started and finished on a pair of layups by Thomas.
A Willie lay-in at the 3:36 mark kept the Lady Bulldogs up six, 24-18, before the Valkyries answered with an 8-0 run. Senior Samira Gillcrese capped the comeback with a pair of made free throws to put the hosts up 26-24 in the final minute but Thornton drilled a three-pointer on Barton's ensuing possession to give the visitors the slim 27-26 edge at the midway point.
Thornton led all players into the locker room with 10 points and Thomas corralled 15 rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Converse continued to cling to within one possession of Barton after four minutes of play in the second half. Freshman Kassidy Moorhouse layup with 15:28 left had the Valkyries down just three, 35-32.
The Lady Bulldogs then put a little wiggle room into the lead with a 9-4 surge. Thornton highlighted the run with her third trifecta to extend Barton's lead to eight at 44-36.
A sophomore Margo Dill layup kept the Valkyries in striking distance, 52-47, with less than six minutes to go before the Lady Bulldogs raced away with a closing 16-8 burst. Thomas made a couple layups in the clinching run and Barton converted on 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch
Barton shot 31.4% (22 of 70) from the floor, 20% (4 of 20) from 3-point distance and 66.7% (20 of 30) from the free throw line. Converse made 30.4% (21 of 69) of its field goals including just 1 of 12 (8.3%) from long range but did convert on 70.6% (12 of 17) of its freebees.
Dill and Horne led the Valkyries with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Gillcrese flirted with a double-double, finishing with nine points and a team-best 17 rebounds. Senior 6-7 center Avery Winchester blocked three Barton shots.
Barton plays its first home game of the New Year on Wednesday, Jan. 8 as the Lady Bulldogs entertain league foe North Greenville University with the opening tip slated for 5:30 p.m.
