SPARTANBURG, SC-The Converse College Valkyries lost to conference rival Barton College in the first home game at Converse. The loss drops Converse to 0-4 (0-1 conference). Barton officially opens their season with a win and advances to 1-0 overall (1-0 conference).

The bout opened with fifteen minutes of traded points until Barton broke away at the 19-22 point with 7 minutes left in the half where they scored 15 unanswered points. The early-season game was riddled with fouls and turnovers by both teams early on. The Lady Bulldogs held a 13 point advantage at 37-24 at intermission.

The second half ensued with a recharged Valkyries offense who kept the score within a ten point reach for the first ten minutes. The Lady Bulldogs eventually broke away again and stretched a 30-39 score to 35-63 in an eight-minute window.

Converse was led by senior Ashley Arff who scored 15 points. She also managed to grab 8 total rebounds. Senior Jess McMahan followed in scoring, adding 10 points for the Valkyries. Junior Morgan Sacharski aided the Converse defense, tallying 5 total rebounds and freshman Jasmine Middlebrooks had two assists for the evening.

Barton's Esty Flores led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring, racking up 22 points and Janae Jackson contributed 18 more points. Flores also led the Bulldog defense, grabbing seven total rebounds. Shante Neal and Shawnta Shelton added six more rebounds apiece.

Converse was edged out in bench points (41-20) and points off of turnovers (30-15) which greatly contributed to Barton's lead.

"I'm impressed with Jess McMahan's effort and evolving leadership tonight. She put up a lot of points for us and came through when we were in trouble," said Converse head coach Joanna Tincher. "Ashley Arff also carried us through another game as we grow and learn. We've been playing with some of the better teams in the region and I can't wait until we pull together against other conference teams."

Converse returns to the court on December first when they visit conference foe Pfeiffer University.