WILSON, N.C. – The Barton women's basketball team (6-5, 2-2) couldn't hold a 17-point third-quarter lead in falling to Francis Marion (7-1, 3-0), 85-75, Saturday afternoon in a Conference Carolinas contest at Wilson Gymnasium.
The Patriots' Jada Richards (Douglasville, Ga.) scored a game-high 28 points including 22 after halftime as the visitors erased a 17-point deficit – 54-37 with 4:33 remaining in the third contest – to force overtime and take the victory.
Francis Marion then outscored Barton by a 10-0 margin in the extra frame in winning its seventh straight contest. The Patriots' Kennedi Simmons (Greensboro, N.C.) came off the bench to score 16 points as Francis Marion remained unbeaten in conference play.
Barton freshman guard
Leah Hampton (Richmond, Va.) scored a game-high 19 points including the game-tying three pointer with 15 seconds left to force overtime while junior guard
Lauren Mingo (Clinton, Md.) tallied a triple-double – 10 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds – in the losing effort.
Barton also hit 14 three-pointers including five treys from Hampton in the losing effort.
Barton hits the road to take King in a league contest on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., in Bristol, Tenn., while Francis Marion faces Converse in Spartanburg, S.C., on Tuesday starting at 2:00 p.m.
