Box Score
by Kevin Buczek with contributions from King sports information
BRISTOL, Tenn.-Four Bulldogs scored 15-plus points for Barton College in a 98-92 road loss at Conference Carolinas undefeated King College on Saturday night.
The Tornado – ranked first nationally 11.4 made three-pointers per game – drilled 14 treys at a 51.9% clip and then hit 12-of-13 free throws in the final 90 seconds to win the track meet. King improved to 15-3 overall and 7-0 in the league with its seventh straight loss.
Barton (11-5, 3-3) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season and will try and end its three-game road swing with a victory at St. Andrews University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Junior guard Gerald Boston continued his high-scoring production for Barton. Boston was 8-of-16 from the field including 2-of-2 from behind the arc and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe en route to a team-high 26 points. Boston has scored 22 or more points in each of the Bulldogs last five games.
Senior sharpshooter Jaren Haley added 17 points for Barton including a 4-of-6 performance from long range. The junior frontcourt duo of Jon Hart and Joseph Velez were both one point off their season-best scoring output with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Velez seized seven rebounds and Hart hauled in five as BC claimed the battle of the backboards, 35-31.
King junior Eddie Piccinini scored a season-high 30 points. Three-time and reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week Brian Hewitt heaved 21 points for the hosts while Michael Fortune sank 19 and Logan Lyle launched up 14.
Piccinini and Fortune swished four 3-pointers apiece and Hewitt and Lyle each made a trio of trifectas to account for the Tornado's 14 bombs.
Boston deadlocked the score for the sixth and final time at 78-78 with a three-pointer but Fortune put King ahead for good with his own three-ball on the ensuing Tornado possession at the 5:00 mark. Barton pulled to within one but a Piccinini 3-pointer gave the hosts a two possession advantage heading into the final two minutes. A pair of Barton turnovers and a couple missed shots ended the Bulldogs comeback attempts as King sealed the victory from the free throw line.
The Tornado made 32-of-37 (86.5%) freebees, 14-of-27 (51.9%) three-pointers, and 26-of-54 (48.1%) field goals. Barton held its own converting 28-of-35 (80%) free throws, 8-of-16 (50%) treys, and 28-of-59 (47.5%) shots.
King built a lead as large as 13 points during the first ten minutes of the opening half. Through the first ten minutes, both teams combined for 53 points with the Tornado holding a 32-21 advantage. Holding on to a lead of 10 points, King's shooting edge began to slip as they missed their next four shots and turned the ball over twice. Barton made up ground, scoring on five of its next six possessions including two and-ones. Barton began a 19-3 run with under eight minutes remaining in the opening session, taking a 46-42 lead with under five minutes at the end of the run.
Barton fed into their lead, building it to as many as seven points Haley hit a three-point shot to take a 51-44 lead over the Tornado. King chipped back into the Barton lead with two jumpers to pull within one point, 51-50. One last bucket and a made free throw by senior Aaron Suggs gave Barton a four-point lead, 54-50, at halftime.
A back-and-forth battled enraged with King slowly making up ground led by Piccinini's 16 second-half points.
