BELMONT, N.C. – The Barton College women's basketball team (2-1, 2-1) lost for the first time this year Saturday afternoon in a Conference Carolinas contest to Belmont Abbey (5-2, 1-1), 83-65, at the Wheeler Center.
The Crusaders, who avenged a Friday night loss to the Bulldogs, were led by Allie Downing (New Madison, Ohio) with 17 points and was one of five players to score in double figures for Belmont Abbey.
Alexis Schulz (Fernandina Beach, Fla.) added 16 points for the Crusaders, who connected on nine-of-13 shots (69 percent) from the three-point line.
Barton was led by senior All-American center
Shanika Peterkin (Virginia Beach, Va.) with a game-high 20 points despite the loss. Peterkin has scored 20 points in all three games this year and junior guard
Akira Wiggins (Knightdale, N.C.) added 14 points in the losing effort. Peterkin also moved into 11th place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,093 points.
Belmont Abbey was clinging to a 42-37 lead with 8:32 remaining in the third quarter before taking control with a 9-0 run and never looked back from there. Belmont Abbey also held a 48-26 advantage on the boards and shot 50 percent (31-of-62) from the field.
Barton faces Lees-McRae in its home opener on Friday beginning at 5:00 p.m., in a Conference Carolinas game. Meanwhile, Belmont Abbey travels to Central, S.C., to take on Southern Wesleyan on Tuesday beginning at 5:00 p.m.
