SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Nygel Boozer came off the bench and scored a career high 23-points to lead the Valkyries to a 71-66 win over Barton on Saturday afternoon inside the Weisiger Center.  

With the win on Saturday, the Valkyries improve to 9-11 overall, 7-5 in Conference Carolinas action and 8-1 at home this season. The win also bumped the Valkyries up to the sixth position in the standings as Barton dropped to No. 3 today with the loss to Converse. This was also the Valkyries first ever win against Barton in program history.  

Uzziah Dawkins finished second on the team with 15-points on the night, while Jay Mitchell and Bosko Bojovic each contributed 11-points in the win. Bojovic has now scored double-figures in 11 straight games dating back to December 12^th. The graduate student forward has also recorded three straight double-doubles. Sophomore Earl Burgess III finished three-points shy of a double-double, but he hauled in a season high 10-rebounds against Barton.

First Half Notes:

• Bojovic scored the first points in the game for either side with a pair of free throws at the 18:57 mark in the period. Donaven Hairston made the first basket from the field for either side moments later. Bojovic gave the Valkyries their first field goal of the game with 17:05 to play in the half.
• It was a defensive battle for the first seven minutes of the game before Boozer began to catch fire at the 12:57 mark. The sophomore guard went on a personal 8-1 run to give the Valkyries a 15-11 advantage.
• For the remainder of the half the two teams struggled to get any offensive rhythm going but the Valkyries held a 29-27 edge over Barton going into the halftime break.
• Converse shot 27.59 percent from the field in the first half, 35.71 percent from three-point range and 66.67 percent from the free throw line.

Second Half Notes:

• Barton scored the first four points of the second half and took a 31-29 lead over the Valkyries.
• A Jordan Warlick three-pointer gave the Valkyries the lead once again, but a fast break dunk by Jarrian Hancock gave the lead and the momentum back to Barton.
• The Valkyries seemed unphased by the early momentum shift as Dawkins and Bojovic scored the next six points to give Converse a 38-33 lead.
• Over the next five minutes of game time the Valkyries held onto a five-to-seven-point lead over Barton. A fast break jumper by Reese McDonald with 7:49 to play pulled the Bulldogs back within a pair of the Valkyries at 57-55.
• Following a quick timeout by Converse the Valkyries came out swinging as they built their lead back up to seven-points.
• With 3:52 to play in the game the Bulldogs began to make a late push against the Valkyries. McDonald scored back-to-back jumpers to pull Barton with two of the Valkyries at 66-64. A pair of Hairston free throws tied the game at 66 with 47 seconds to play.
• Converse ended the game on a 5-0 run against the Bulldogs and outscored Barton 42-39 in the second half. The Valkyries shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, 33 percent from three-point range and 84 percent from the free throw line.

Stat Leaders:
Points – Boozer (23), Dawkins (15), Mitchell (11), Bojovic (11)
Rebounds – Bojovic (11), Burgess (10), Dawkins (6)
Assists – Dawkins (4)

Next Up:
Converse will stay at home this week and battle King on Tuesday evening and Belmont Abbey on Saturday afternoon.

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