Box Score by Cory Guinn
GAFFNEY, S.C. – Senior guard Kaila Lea scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor, including 7-of-12 from three-point range, with seven rebounds as the Barton College women's basketball team suffered a 64-63 defeat at the hands of nationally ranked No. 8 Limestone College (15-1, 10-0) on Saturday night.
Barton (6-10, 5-4) jumped out to a 10-4 lead early on in the game, thanks in large part to five straight points from Lea over the first three minutes of play. The Lady Bulldog lead would grow to 17-8 at the 13:47 mark in the first half after a three-pointer from Lea and two scores in the paint from senior Brianna Thomas.
As Limestone did its best to close the gap, Thomas scored the final eight points of the opening half for Barton leading to a 30-22 advantage at the half.
The eight-point edge at intermission was due in large part to a 26-13 advantage on the board for Barton as well as an 8-0 lead in the assist category. Lea and Thomas combined to score 25 of the Lady Bulldogs first 30 points in the opening 20 minutes.
The second half of action opened with the Saints using halftime adjustments to make a 10-3 over the first 4:16 to trail by one with just over 15 minutes to play. However, a three-pointer from sophomore Tiffany Webster extended the Lady Bulldog lead to 36-32 to provide breathing room.
Limestone would quickly tie the game at 36-36 on back-to-back layups from Celestra Warren before claiming a two-point edge on a jumper from Warren at the 14:05 mark. A three-pointer from Lea reclaimed the lead for Barton at 39-38 until an 11-0 run by the Saints gave the team a 49-39 lead with 11:31 to play in the game.
A subsequent 12-0 run by the Lady Bulldogs, including eight points from Lea, would give Barton a two-point lead with 6:27 on the clock before Limestone tied the game at 51-51 as 5:21 was left to play.
The Lady Bulldogs quickly regained the lead on a three-pointer from Lea and a layup from freshman Shatisha Dukes and eventually stretched the lead to as large as 63-56 with 1:08 remaining on the game clock.
However, two missed free throws and two crucial turnovers allowed Limestone to stay in the game. The Saints closed out the game on an 8-0 run to secure the one-point victory on their home floor and remain unbeaten in league play.
Thomas was the Lady Bulldogs' second leading scorer, notching a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes of play as the Limestone defense was able to force 25 Barton turnovers, converting them into 29 total points off of turnovers.
Barton will continue its short road trip on Tuesday, January 20 as the team travels to Central, S.C. for a matchup with first-year Conference Carolinas member Southern Wesleyan University at 5:30 p.m.
