SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Down the stretch in a hard-fought Conference Carolinas Tournament semifinal on Saturday, both the UNC Pembroke and Barton women’s teams played some high-level basketball, making key plays in key moments trying to lead their team to victory.

The back-and-forth affair swung back to the Braves as UNCP made the key plays in the final moments, earning a 63-56 win to advance to Sunday’s tournament final.

“Kalaya (Hall) got downhill and Courtney (Smith) hit some big shots; Kelci (Adams) struggled but she hit a huge 3 for us that was big, and then that high-post jumper that Zaria (Clark) made, those were huge plays,” said John Haskins, the retiring UNCP coach whose career was extended at least one more game with the win. “And then we got some stops down the stretch. It seemed like every time we got some separation, (Barton) made a big shot, whether it was (Lauren) Walker, (Cierra) Revelle or (Lauren) Mingo, somebody made a big shot.”

Looking to repeat as tournament champions, top-seeded UNCP (22-7) will face No. 3 Belmont Abbey in a championship-game rematch at 4 p.m. Sunday. The Crusaders topped No. 2 Francis Marion 54-40 in Saturday’s other semifinal.

No. 10 Barton (11-20) saw its tournament run end after three previous wins as the lower-seeded team.

Barton took a 49-47 lead with under five minutes to go after a steal and basket by Mingo. Free throws by Hall tied the game before Kelci Adams hit her first shot of the game on a 3 to give the Braves a 52-49 lead at the 3:14 mark.

Hall hit a layup for the Braves’ next basket, then Clark hit a 14-foot jumper for a 56-51 UNCP lead with 1:11 to go.

But Revelle hit a 3 to pull Barton to a 56-54 deficit; on the ensuing possession, Hall made a smooth spin move to create an open look underneath the basket, which she converted for a 58-54 lead with 20 seconds to play.

“I was just like, we need a bucket,” Hall said. “Me, (Courtney Smith, Alcenia Purnell, Lillian Flantos and Aniah McManus), we’re seniors, so we’re not trying to go home, we’re trying to go as long as we can go. It was just survive and advance, I think that’s the thing in March.”

Barton still wouldn’t go quietly, with Mingo scoring a basket to pull to within two points at 58-56 with 14 seconds left.

But McManus hit two free throws for UNCP, then after a Barton turnover, Clark hit two more for a 62-56 advantage with 11 seconds on the clock.

After a Barton miss, the Bulldogs committed an intentional foul, and Hall hit her 11th free throw of the game. Her first free throw of the night had set a UNCP single-season record for free throws made; she finished the night with 174 made this season.

“It’s just being in the right spots and having that attacking mentality,” Hall said. “Coach talked about being aggressive, and that’s what I want to do is get downhill and then find the shooters, (Smith), Kelci, and I have faith in them that they’ll knock them down.”

Hall finished with a game-high 25 points and grabbed four steals. Courtney Smith scored 12 points for the Braves, playing conference tournament games at Wofford for the first time after watching last year’s championship run from the stands after a knee injury; the team did not advance to the later rounds at Wofford in earlier seasons.

“I think I just wanted to come in and — last year I was in the stands, but I was still here supporting my team, and this isn’t any different, I’m still here supporting my team as well at this point in time,” Smith said.

“It’s good to have her on the court and for her to get this experience, because she didn’t get it last year,” Haskins said. “For her to be able to play in a conference championship game, I think that’s pretty cool.”

Clark had 11 points with 10 rebounds for the Braves, her sixth double-double of the season.

Walker scored 16 points to lead Barton; Powell had 15 points with seven rebounds, Mingo had eight points with seven rebounds and four assists and Payton Sutton scored seven points.

After leading 32-29 at halftime, UNCP struggled offensively for much of the third quarter, hitting one field goal over the first seven minutes, leaving the score tied at 36-36. But the Braves finished the period with an 11-4 run, sparked by two Hall layups and a Smith triple, to take a 47-40 lead at the end of the third.

“It’s just staying focused on that, build it brick by brick and possession by possession,” Hall said. “They made their run, we made ours.”

Barton opened the fourth on a 9-2 run led by five points from Powell to take its 49-47 lead midway through the fourth.

At the outset, three 3s over the first 4 1/2 minutes of the game, with two by Walker and one by Sutton, gave Barton a 10-6 lead. UNCP used an 8-3 stretch to take a 14-13 lead after a Smith triple and two Hall baskets; Sutton scored twice to put Barton back up by three before Malea Garrison finished the first-quarter scoring with a 3 to tie the game at 17-17 at the period’s conclusion.

A Hall basket and a Lillian Flantos 3 gave UNCP a 22-17 lead early in the second quarter. Triples by Skylar Quillet and Walker gave Barton a 27-26 lead with 1:34 left in the half; layups in the final minute by Aniah McManus and Smith gave UNCP its 3-point halftime edge.

After having never won a conference tournament title prior to last season, the Braves will look to go back-to-back Sunday as they face Belmont Abbey for the title once again after last year’s 56-46 title-game triumph.

The lone meeting of the regular season between UNCP and Belmont Abbey on Jan. 13 was a defensive struggle won at home by Belmont Abbey, 37-36.

“Belmont Abbey, it’s just hard to play against,” Haskins said. “They do a great job of running that zone; I’m watching them (Friday) night trying to figure out, OK, how can you attack that zone. And they’ve got a lot of kids that are very skilled, and they run their stuff well.”