by Kevin Buczek
NORFOLK, Va.-Senior guard Aaron Suggs scored 10 of his game-high 17 points in the first half as Barton led NCAA Division I Old Dominion University by five points at halftime before the Monarchs rallied for a 79-68 exhibition win on Tuesday night at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
Old Dominion – a 2011 NCAA DI National Championship participant that lost in the first round to Butler University on a last second tip-in – was able to rally on the Barton Bulldogs with a 32-20 rebounding advantage in the second half.
Barton was held to under 40-percent shooting making only 24-of-61 (39.3%) attempts and Old Dominion cashed in on 30-of-66 (45.5%) shots. The Monarchs committed 11 first half turnovers that helped the Bulldogs race out to a 38-33 lead at the intermission but ODU protected the ball much better in the second half only turning the ball over four more times in the final 20 minutes.
"I thought our guys played with great intensity in the first half," Barton head coach Ron Lievense said. "We weren't hitting on all cylinders offensively but we kept fighting defensively, and that kept us in the game and actually got us a lead. We missed a lot of chipy shots around the basket and they out rebounded us in the second half and that was a major turning point. We didn't shoot well from the foul line and you got to hit free throws to win games. But overall, I was pleased with what our guys did and we now have a week to get better and use the lessons we learned as we prepare for non-conference play."
Suggs, a local Wilson, N.C., product swished a trio of three-pointers in a reserve role on his way to 17 points. Junior guard Gerald Boston (Burlington, N.C.) bucketed 15 points and senior guard Jaren Haley (Woodbridge, Va.) tallied 11 points.
Senior 6-foot-6 forward R.D. Dowdy (Chapel Hill, N.C.) came off the Bulldog bench to provide a team-high six rebounds and six points. Sophomore forward Evan Shelton (Charlotte, N.C.) swatted away a game-high three blocks.
The Monarchs (27-7 record in 2010-11) had five players score in double figures including freshman Dimitri Batten's team-high 17 points and senior Chris Cooper's double-double of 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds including 11 offensive boards.
ODU led by as many as six in the first half before Barton closed the period with an 8-3 surge in the final 100 seconds. Junior Keith Manley (Greensboro, N.C.) put the Bulldogs ahead with an offensive rebound and layup before another layup by Dowdy and a two made free throws by Suggs in the final 20 seconds sent BC into the locker room with a five-point advantage in front of a stunned announced attendance of 6,552.
The Bulldogs were held without a field goal for almost the first six minutes of the second half as the Monarchs catapulted ahead 46-40 with a 13-2 run. Old Dominion kept the momentum building a double digit advantage it would keep for the final 10 minutes of play.
Barton begins regular season play in the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge hosted by Tusculum College on Nov. 11-12. The Bulldogs open up against 2011 Elite Eight participant Anderson University on Friday at 5 p.m., before challenging the host Pioneers on Saturday at 4 p.m.
