CONCORD, N.C. – In the final women’s basketball semifinal of the Conference Carolinas Tournament powered by OrthoCarolina, third-seeded University of Mount Olive defeated seventh-seed Barton College, 76-59 to advance to the tournament finals for the second consecutive year. The Trojans never trailed as they dominated possession, outrebounding Barton 56-33 and collecting 26 offensive boards to limit the Bulldogs’ offensive chances.

Two Trojans (18-10) reached double figures in rebounding, led by Ty Wallace’s game-high 14. Jasmine McDonald added 10 rebounds en route to a double-double with her 14-point performance. Kirksten Mitchell and Joneiqua Gary each scored 16 points to lead the team.

For the Bulldogs (13-15), Ashley Thornton poured in a game-high 18 points in the absence of Nyesha Willie, the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, who averaged nearly 25 points per game this season. Tiffany Webster scored 11 points and was the only other Bulldog to reach double figures. Brianna Thomas scored seven points and had seven rebounds, while Caila Carter didn’t score but collected eight boards.

The game featured just one tie and no lead changes. Mount Olive jumped out to a 6-0 lead after making three of their first four field goal attempts. The Bulldogs then came roaring back with a 6-0 run of their own to tie the game, but Mount Olive responded by scoring the next eight points to stretch their lead to 14-6 and would never see the lead dwindle below five points during the remainder of the contest.

While the Trojans were able to stifle a number of potential Barton runs before the Bulldogs made a serious threat at taking the lead, the most important situation came late in the game. After seeing their deficit hover around the ten-point mark for much of the second half, Barton used a jumper by Brianna Thomas to pull within seven points with 5:00 to play. But a McDonald jumper in the paint, a Mitchell free throw, and a Mitchell three-point basket stretched the lead back to 72-57 with 2:34 remaining and ended any chance the Bulldogs had at a game-winning comeback for the win.

Both teams shot fairly evenly, with Barton making 40.0 percent of its shots and Mount Olive connecting on 38.8 percent of its field goal attempts. Mount Olive forced 13 turnovers while committing 12 and outscored Barton 18-9 in second-chance points.

With its win, Mount Olive advances to the championship game of the Conference Carolinas Tournament powered by OrthoCarolina. The No. 3 Trojans will face the top-seeded Limestone College Saints at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Barton completes its season with this evening’s loss.