Nick Kolsin, Sports Reporter
The UNC Pembroke women’s basketball team kicked off their Conference Carolinas title defense when they faced off against the Barton College Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. A hard-fought game from start to finish saw the Braves put an end to Bartons magical run as the #10 seed taking them down 63-56.
“Pretty much like we expected it was a battle, Barton’s a very athletic team and they have some kids that can make plays. I told the girls to just keep battling defensively and down the stretch we hit some big shots and just had to battle to hold them off. All in all, just happy to be moving on and we expected a tough game,” Head coach John Haskins said.
The Bulldogs struck first in the game after a Payton Sutton three gave them an early 3-0 lead. The teams then traded baskets for the next five minutes as the Bulldogs led 10-8 with five minutes left in the first. Coming out of the first media timeout, Courtney Smith hit a deep three to give the Braves their first lead of the game. After Payton Sutton gave the Bulldogs a three-point lead on a layup, Maela Garrison came down and hit a three with four seconds left in the first quarter as both sides were tied at 17-17.
The Braves started the second quarter with a layup from Kalaya Hall and a three from Lillian Flantos to give the Braves a 22-17 lead early in the quarter. The Bulldogs then hit a layup and three of their own to tie the game back up at 24 with three minutes to play in the half. After a layup from Smith, the Bulldogs answered right back with a three from Lauren Walker to give them a one-point lead. To end the half, the Braves went on a 6-2 run to give them a 32-29 lead going into the halftime break.
Coming out of half, the Braves were able to extend their lead to five after two free throws from Hall. The Bulldogs quickly tied it back up at 36-36 after seven points from Nyla Powell. After trips to the free throw line from both teams, the Braves were able to take a 40-37 lead with three minutes left in the quarter. A layup from Hall and three from Smith gave the Braves an eight-point lead with two minutes to play in the quarter. A Bulldogs three followed by another layup from Hall gave the Braves a 47-40 lead going into the finals.
To start the half, the Braves came out cold as ice not being able to score for the first few minutes of the quarter. On the other end, the Bulldogs capitalized off the Braves stretch by going on a 9-0 run giving them a 49-47 lead with five minutes left in the game.
Two free throws from Kayala Hall finally ended the Bulldogs run, tying the game at 49-49. Kelci Adams took the lead back with a three that ignited the crowd. With the Braves leading 56-51, the Bulldogs Cierra Revelle hit a big three from the corner to bring the game back within two. A layup through contact for Hall and two free throws from Aniah McManus allowed the braves to extend the lead to four with 13 seconds left in the game. The Braves added three more free throws to ice the game and won to advance to the finals.
“It was just survived and advance, that’s the theme of March,” Hall said of the mentality heading into the tournament.
Hall led the way for the Braves, finishing with 25 points. She also broke the school record for the most free-throws in a single season and added four steals to her stellar performance. Smith provided a spark off the bench with a performance of 12 points and three rebounds. Zaria Clark finished the night with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Braves will play the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a rematch of last year’s title game at 4 p.m. on Sunday for the Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Title inside Jerry Richardson Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg S.C.