SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A valiant effort by the Converse basketball team came up just short on Monday evening as the Valkyries dropped a hard-fought 82-71 contest against Barton inside the Weisiger Center.

 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Barton 82, Converse 71
Records: Barton (15-4, 8-4 CC), Converse (6-10, 1-10 CC)
Location: Hannah Gymnasium
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE 

• Junior guard Dominique Hill (Elgin, S.C.) paced the Purple and Gold with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field, including 3-for-4 from downtown
• Before going out of the contest midway through the third quarter with an undisclosed injury, Priscilla Delaney (Charleston, S.C.) poured in 11 points, shooting 4-for-5 overall.
• Freshman guard Ellen Nardella (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) continued her three-point prowess, knocking down three shots from behind the arc to finish the contest with nine points.
• Barton held a 46-36 advantage on the boards
• Converse turned the Bulldogs over 22 times during the game, including seven steals, which led to 21 points.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter 
Kianna Wynn connected on a layup a minute into the opening quarter to give Barton the early lead. However, Nigeria Davis (Newberry, S.C) came right back with a basket of her own to spark a 13-4 run for the Vals over 6+ minutes of action.

That lead grew to as many as 11 (19-8) following a three-pointer from Ashley Sides (Gaffney, S.C.), but a pair of free throws and a jumper from BC cut the lead to 19-12 heading to the second period.
 
Second Quarter 
Barton scored the first five points of the second before Delaney went on a personal 6-2 run, powering her way to the basket for easy layups, to extend the Converse lead to 25-19. Ten straight points from the Bulldogs put Barton back ahead 29-25 with 4:28 to go in the first half.

Alexis McMillian (Bishopville, S.C.) put a stop to that run with an old-fashioned three-point play, followed by a Hill layup to push Converse back ahead 30-29 late in the half. The lead changed hands three times down the stretch and Barton took a 40-35 advantage into the break.
 
Third Quarter

The Bulldogs came out strong to start the second half, scoring six straight to extend to a double-digit lead (46-35). However, Converse did not back down, chipping away at the deficit with great guard play and a relentless defense. 

A pair of free throws by Ivy Collins (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) with 57 ticks on the clock gave Converse a one-point lead (56-55), but Wynn cashed in a layup to send Barton into the fourth leading 57-56.
 
Fourth Quarter

Abigail Lewis (Savannah, Ga.) knocked down her only points of the game less than a minute into the final period to put CC ahead 60-59, but Barton ripped off a crucial 15-3 run, pushing out to a cozy 74-63 lead with two minutes to play. 

Collins hit a layup to bring the Vals within eight (76-68), but that was as close as the score would get as Barton finished the game doubling up Converse, 6-3, to take the 82-71 win.
 
TURNING POINT
After Lewis connected on layup to give Converse a 60-59 lead one minute into the fourth quarter, Barton used a 15-3 run to seize control of the contest. 

 
UP NEXT
After a one-week hiatus Converse will return to action, traveling to Mars Hill, N.C. to face the Lions in a non-conference affair. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 6 p.m.