Clinton, S.C. ? Sophomore guard Brittany Carannante (Clearwater, Fla.) scored a career-high 19 points on seven of 10 shooting while senior center Ayesha Barkley (East Orange, N.J.) added a season-high 18 points along with six rebounds to lead the Stetson women's basketball team (4-4) to its third straight win, a 67-63 triumph at Presbyterian on Thursday. The victory was Stetson's first in a non-conference road game outside Volusia County since 1997 and returns it to .500 on the year.
Down 32-30 at halftime, Stetson took its first lead of the game when Tierra Brown stole a pass and found Carannante for a fast-break layup with 15:20 to go, making it 39-38 Hatters. Carannante continued her hot shooting from the first half, setting a career scoring high with over 13 minutes left in the game by reaching 17 points. That bucket was part of a 20-7 run over a six and a half minute span after which Stetson never trailed again.
Although missed free throws prevented Stetson from pulling away, increased ball pressure and rebounding led to a 50-45 lead with 9:48 to go, the first two-possession lead for the Hatters. Stetson would lead by as many as nine before the three-point shooting of Amanda Mills brought PC back within three points with 5:30 left. Once again, however, several key offensive rebounds, including a pair by senior forward Shayna Swinson (Atlanta, Ga.) extended possessions and allowed the Hatters to lead 62-55 at the final media timeout with 3:29 left.
Presbyterian and Mills simply refused to die, stroking back-to-back threes to cut the lead to three. Some timely luck benefited Stetson on the next trip down the floor, as PC's Chelsea Wright fouled senior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) as the shot clock expired; two free throws extended the Hatter lead to five with 55 ticks left. That proved to be the last gasp for the Blue Hose as Stetson held on for the road victory.
Carannante connected on all three of her three-point shots and grabbed a season-high five rebounds. Barkley's 18 points were just three off her career high, set last January 28 at Gardner-Webb. Smith contributed 11 points, four steals and five assists, her fourth consecutive game with at least five helpers. Sophomore guard Tierra Brown had a season-best four assists plus seven points, five rebounds and four steals.
Mills did deadly work for PC, scoring 26 points on six for 13 three-point shooting. Brittany Brown added an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double for Presbyterian while Lea Smith and Kristen Stevens had 10 points apiece.
The Hatters quickly fell behind 8-0 but were able to work back within four at the first media timeout. A prolonged scoring drought, coupled with turnovers, resulted in PC pulling away to lead 18-5 with 12 minutes left in the first half. Over the next nine minutes, Stetson chipped away and again made it back to a two-point game with just under three minutes left before halftime. The two squads would trade buckets the rest of the way as PC took a 32-30 lead into the locker room.
Barkley led the Hatters with nine points and three rebounds in the first 20 minutes while Carannante scored seven. Mills and Stevens led the hot-shooting Blue Hose (.565 from the floor, 5-10 from distance) with 10 points each.
Stetson's last non-conference road victory outside Volusia County came Dec. 6, 1997 at Winthrop, 29 such games ago.
Stetson heads to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to take on Coastal Carolina in the opening game of the Carolinas Challenge at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. #2 North Carolina takes on Illinois immediately after the Hatters and Chanticleers finish play. Bill Topping will call the action on Hatter Vision, available exclusively at www.GoHatters.com, the official online home of Stetson Athletics. A free video webcast will also be available at www.beachballclassic.com.
