WILSON, N.C.-In a matchup of regionally ranked teams, No. 10 Barton College rolled to an 87-62 Conference Carolinas victory over No. 5 Limestone College 87-62 on its Senior Night Saturday in the Dog House.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season winning five straight games for a 17-9 overall and 12-6 league record. Barton enters the 2011 Conference Carolinas Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 St. Andrews Presbyterian College in a quarterfinal showdown on Monday at 7 p.m. The Knights were the last team to defeat Barton on Feb. 9.
The Saints saw a four-game win streak snapped and will maintain 20-6 overall and 14-4 league ledgers heading into postseason play. No. 2 seed Limestone will try and bounce back from its worst loss of the season (25 points) in the quarters against No. 7 Mount Olive College.
Barton forward L.J. Dunn (Raleigh, N.C.) – the reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week – produced his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Dunn and fellow seniors Mike Flowers (Copenhagen, Denmark), Greg Mammel (San Antonio, Texas) and Mihai Petcu (Piteski, Romania) were honored before tipoff for their contributions to the Barton men's basketball program.
The quartet of seniors all started. Flowers scored a season-high 12 points and Petcu chipping in seven points in eight minutes.
After trading baskets for the first five minutes, Flowers drilled a 3-pointer to put Barton ahead for good at 10-7. The senior Bulldogs followed with a layup by Petcu, a Dunn steal and Flowers 3-pointer to pull ahead 15-9. Barton maintained a single-digit lead for the remainder of the period and a pair of made free throws by sophomore Gerald Boston (Burlington, N.C.) with 1.1 seconds showing on the clock provided the hosts with a 35-28 halftime lead.
Barton kept the momentum out of the locker room shooting 69.2% (18-of-26) in the second half to pull away. The Bulldogs started the second stanza on a 13-2 run that featured back-to-back 3-pointers by junior Jaren Haley (Woodbridge, Va.) and never looked back.
Boston scored a game-high 22 points including 9-of-10 made free throws. Boston add game-high totals of seven assists and three steals. Haley swished 11 points as Haley and Flowers both canned a trio of treys. Junior Jo Jo Velez (Woodbridge, Va.) chipped in nine rebounds.
The Bulldogs finished firing at 52.6% (30-of-57) precision. Limestone shot 47.9% (23-of-48)but committed 21 turnovers that led to 22 points. Barton protected the ball well with only 11 mistakes.
The Saints held a 34-29 rebounding edge behind a 10-rebound performance from junior Jarrell Douglass (Leesburg, Fla.), who added a team-high 17 points for a double-double. Senior Danny Friend (Morrow, Ga.) added 12 points and six boards.
