BANNER ELK, N.C. – The Barton women's basketball team (26-1, 22-1) closed out the regular season with a 93-74 victory over Lees-McRae (9-17, 9-15) Thursday evening at Williams Gymnasium. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division II, stretched their winning streak to 20 games.
Barton senior forward
Jami Tham (Arlington, Va.) led the way again with 23 points and 14 rebounds – her 11th double-double on the season – while senior guard
Akira Wiggins (Knightdale, N.C.) and sophomore guard
Lauren Walker (Charlotte, N.C.) added 19 points each in the win.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 25-9 advantage at the end of the first period and never looked back in sweeping the season series from the Bobcats. Barton also held a 40-24 advantage on the boards and posted its most victories in a single season in 11 years.
Lees-McRae was led by MaKayla Smith (Monroe, N.C.) with 21 points and the Bobcats hit 52 percent from the field (32-of-60) despite the loss. The Bulldogs also powered their way to the win from the free throw line, connecting on 27-of-31 shots from the charity stripe.
Barton will be the top seed in the 2022 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Championship and will next compete in the semifinals of the tournament on Saturday, March 5, at 5:00 p.m., at Jerry Richardson Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Lees-McRae will also compete in the tournament starting this Sunday.
