FERRUM, Va. -- Ferrum College's women's basketball team dropped a Conference Carolinas game to Barton College this afternoon, falling 54-49 at Swartz Gym.

RECORDS
Barton 8-5, 4-1 CC
Ferrum 5-9, 3-3 CC

THE BASICS
Barton jumped out to the early 9-4 lead in the first quarter, but the Panthers battled back with a 5-0 run. Sofia Ponce's coast-to-coast layup tying the game at 9-9 with 40 seconds left in the first quarter. MaKayla Noble made a jumper with 26 seconds left to make it an 11-9 game after one. 

The Bulldogs used a 14-7 run to open the second quarter and extend the lead to 25-16. Allyson Cassell made a layup, was fouled and made a free throw with less than a minute left in the half to make it a 25-19 game at the break.

The third quarter opened with a three-pointer by Ferrum's Maslyn Mosbacher, followed by a free throw from Zy'Breayziah Alexander to get the lead down to 25-23. Barton countered with a pair of baskets to make it a 29-23 game at the 5:15 mark. Ferrum battled back with a three-pointer by Gracie Beane and layups by Ponce and Allyson Cassell to make it a 34-32 game after three full quarters.

Ponce opened the fourth quarter with a layup to even the score at 34-34. Barton got a free throw from Lauren Farrell and a basket from Noble to make it a 37-34 game, then Ponce made a pair of free throws at the 8:00 mark to trim the lead to 37-26. The Bulldogs used a 5-0 run to widen the gap to 42-36 at 6:44, then Dezariyah Clark made two free throws to get it down to 42-38 with six minutes left on the clock. 

Alexander made one of two free throws at 4:10 to get the lead down to two points at 47-45. Ponce's layup with 17 seconds left in regulation made it a 51-49 game, but Noble was fouled and made one of two free throws to put her team on top by three, 52-49. The Panthers inbounded the ball with 13.5 seconds showing on the clock and Gracie Beane launched a three-pointer from the left side of the baseline that went in and out. Barton's Layne Sleight got the rebound, was fouled and knocked down both free throws to seal the win. 

KEY STATS
Barton: Sleight 18 pts, 10 reb; Leah Hampton 9 pts, Noble 9 pts
Ferrum: Ponce 18 pts, 13 pts; Gracie Beane 8 pts

UP NEXT
Coach Bryan Harvey's team will be back on court Saturday, January 10, at Emmanuel University in Franklin Springs, Georgia. The Conference Carolinas doubleheader is set to begin with a 2:00 p.m. women's tip-off and will be followed by a 4:00 p.m. men's game.