Box Score by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College women's basketball team lost its fifth straight contest of the season, falling 89-78 to the Flying Fleet of Erskine College on Wednesday night in Wilson Gymnasium.
With the loss, Barton (5-10, 3-5) has now lost seven consecutive decisions to Erskine (3-9, 3-4), dating back to the 2013-14 season. The Lady Bulldogs shot just 40.3 percent as team in comparison to a 49.3 percent shooting clip from the Flying Fleet. Erskine also owned a 49-37 advantage in total rebounds and a 46-36 edge in points scored in the paint.
Barton scored the first four points of the contest to gain an early advantage, stretching its lead to as large as 19-11 at the end of the first quarter. However, an 11-3 run by Erskine tied the game at 22-22 with 6:56 to play in the second period.
The two teams played to two more ties in the quarter before Barton gained a 34-30 lead with 2:48 remaining on back-to-back layups from freshman Kianna Wynn. The Flying Fleet responded with a 9-3 run as Barton's Alex Kimble made a layup with two seconds remaining as BC went into the halftime break down 39-36.
Erskine and Barton played close in the early goings of the third quarter, playing to four total ties in the period's first five minutes. The Flying Fleet began feeding the paint, ending the quarter on a 19-4 run which included 14 points down low as the visiting team held a 66-51 lead with just 10 minutes to play.
The Flying Fleet's lead grew to its biggest total with 6:28 remaining as Erskine led 74-56 over Barton following a Kristen Giles jumper. BC closed the gap to a nine-point deficit late in the game but was unable to overcome the double-digit lead of Erskine.
Forward Naomi Stuger led the Fleet with a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with 10 points, while point guard Raygon Hendrix totaled 11 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the game as all five Fleet starters scored in double figures.
Barton had four players in double figures on Wednesday, led by Wynn with 17 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Kimble scored 16 points of her, while sophomore Tatyana Jackson totaled 14 points, a season-high nine assists and four steals. Junior Caila Carter finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double performance of the season.
The Lady Bulldogs travel to Belmont, N.C. for a 2 p.m. matchup with the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey College on Saturday, January 16 in their next game.
