WILSON, N.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team fell 67-75 to Barton on Friday night in the Wilson Gymnasium.
Jordan Warlick (Irmo, S.C.) opened the game with a layup in the paint and moments later
Jay Mitchell (Clemmons, N.C.) knockdown a three-pointer to give the Valkyries a 5-2 advantage in the early stages of the game.
Over the next several minutes of game time the two squads exchanged baskets and with 12:34 to play in the half, Barton took their first lead of the game at 12-11. Coming out of a media timeout the Valkyries quickly retook the lead on a set play with
Earl Burgess III (Spartanburg, S.C.) making the layup. The basket jump started a quick offensive outburst from the Valkyries, as Warlick scored his seventh point of the night on a layup.
Throughout the remainder of the half the two teams went shot-for-shot and traded scoring runs. Going into the halftime break the Valkyries trailed 35-32 to the Bulldogs. Warlick led the Valkyries with nine first half points,
Jimmie Sanders III (Dallas, Texas) had six first half assists and
Nate Gordon (Alpharetta, Ga.) grabbed a team best six rebounds in the opening half.
Barton opened the second half on a 7-3 run but the Valkyries quickly countered with a 9-2 run. The offensive run by the Valkyries forced Barton to call a timeout tied at 44 with 15:37 to play in the game. Trailing 50-46 with 14:01 to play in the game, Converse capped off a 5-0 run with a Sanders III three-pointer to retake a 51-50 lead.
The two teams battled down the stretch but it was Barton who took the late lead and the momentum away from the Valkyries. Burgess III led the team with 20-points and had seven rebounds on the night. Warlick added 14-points and led the team with 10-rebounds, Mitchell contributed 12-points and
Elijah Pitts scored 8-points in the loss. Sanders III led the team with 8 assists on the night and Gordon finished second on the team with 9 rebounds.
Next Up:
The Valkyries will stay on the road with game at Francis Marion tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in Florence, S.C.
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