No. 1 Barton, No. 7 Francis Marion Advance to Women’s Basketball Final

3/5/2022 10:04:56 PM

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Seventh-seeded Francis Marion won its fourth straight contest while No. 1 seed Barton won its 21st straight game to earn a spot in the 2022 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship final on Sunday inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford.

The Bulldogs used a 26 point first quarter to coast to a 76-48 win over No. 4 Chowan in the first semifinal. Barton scored the first six points and won the opening 10 minutes 26-13. The Hawks played even in the second quarter and trimmed a 21-point, 38-17, deficit down to 13, 43-30, at the half. The Wilson, North Carolina program outscored the Hawks 33-18 in the second half for the final margin.

Shanika Peterkin, the Conference Carolinas Player and Defensive Player of the Year, led Barton with a game-high 20 points, 15 rebounds and added three blocks. Jami Tham added 18 points and nine rebounds while two others scored in double figures for Barton. Destiny Robinson paced Chowan with 14 points and eight rebounds while Aniah Patterson added 11 points.

In the second semifinal, the Patriots shot 50 percent (33-of-66) from the field in a 96-84 win over No. 2 Mount Olive. It was all Trojans in the first quarter as they raced out to an 11-4 lead and led 27-21 after one. Francis Marion responded by outscoring the Trojans 27-11 in the second quarter to take a 10-point, 48-38, halftime lead. The Patriots shot 56.3 percent (9-for-16) from the field in the second 10 minutes including 3-of-4 (75 percent) from the 3-point arc. The Trojans chipped away at the deficit in the third quarter as they shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the field and opened the period on a 12-4 run to make it 52-50, but Francis Marion scored the next five to extend the margin back to seven. Mount Olive got as close as four points midway through the fourth quarter, but the Patriots were able to pull away for the win.

Scarlett Gilmore paced FMU with 28 points, six rebounds and three steals while Kiana Lee added 18 points and three others scored in double figures. Ayonna Cotten netted a team-high 22 for the Trojans as four others scored in double digits including Sherry Johnson who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Francis Marion will face the top-seeded and seventh-ranked Bulldogs of Barton for an automatic bid to the NCAA National Tournament on Sunday, March 6 at 4 p.m. inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford in Spartanburg.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium are available here.

2022 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 27
#7 Francis Marion defeated #10 North Greenville at King, 76-63
#8 Emmanuel defeated #9 Lees-McRae at UNC Pembroke, 72-57

Second Round – Monday, February 28
#7 Francis Marion defeats #6 King, 87-84
#8 Emmanuel defeats #5 UNC Pembroke, 69-67

Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#4 Chowan def. #8 Emmanuel, 55-47
#7 Francis Marion def. #3 Belmont Abbey, 73-69

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#1 Barton def. #4 Chowan, 76-48
#7 Francis Marion def. #2 Mount Olive, 96-84

Final – Sunday, March 6 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#1 Barton vs. #7 Francis Marion, 4 p.m.