GAFFNEY, S.C.-The Barton College men's basketball team almost completed an improbable road comeback with a 21-6 run in the final three minutes but host and Conference Carolinas frontrunner Limestone College was able to hang on for an 83-79 win Saturday night in the Timken Center.
The Bulldogs trailed 77-58 heading into the final three minutes before making things interesting with the late surge against the league's preseason favorite. Junior Jaren Haley (Woodbridge, Va.) sparked the run with a three-pointer while being fouled. Haley made the ensuing free throw to complete the four-point play and Barton strung together 13 straight points to pull within six with 37 seconds left. The Bulldogs inched to within four a couple times in the final 30 seconds but Limestone converted on its last four free throw attempts to stay ahead.
The Saints (11-2 Overall; 6-0 Conf.) have won six straight contests and remain undefeated in league play. Barton (9-6, 4-3) returns to Wilson for a home showdown against league rival Queens University of Charlotte on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.-
Senior L.J. Dunn (Raleigh, N.C.) notched a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double to pace the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-3 forward played a game-high 39 minutes.
Haley finished with 15 points, junior R.D. Dowdy (Chapel Hill, N.C.) bucketed 12, and sophomore Gerald Boston (Burlington, N.C.) swished 11. Dowdy chipped in six rebounds. Boston and freshman Ethan Maske (Jacksonville, Ala.) both handed out four assists.
The Saints held a slim 38-36 lead after a close first half. Haley scored the first basket of the second half with a layup to tie the contest for the eighth and final team at 38-all. The hosts responded with a trio of trey's in a 60 second span to take the lead for good at 46-38. Limestone used a 13-3 run midway through the second half to build its cushion to double figures. The Saints led by as many as 19 before Barton's late push.
LC junior Jarrell Douglass (Leesburg, Fla.) – who leads Conference Carolinas in scoring – was a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc en route to his game-high 28 points. Senior Danny Friend (Morrow, Ga.) scored 18 and junior Michael Barrett (Virginia Beach, Va.) tallied 10.
Limestone shot 50.9% and Barton fired at 48.3% but the Saints were 10-of-20 (50%) from three-point distance compared to just 4-of-14 (28.6%) by the Bulldogs. Both squads pulled down 32 rebounds.
