Box Score
by John Hackney
WILSON, N.C.-Barton center Joseph Velez sparked a 14-0 run from the opening tip and punctuated a 74-67 men's basketball victory over Pfeiffer with a dunk Tuesday night as the Bulldogs clinched a berth in next week's Conference Carolinas Tournament.
The Bulldogs, sparked by a vocal Dog House crowd, rode Velez's 13 points to a record of 16-9 overall and 8-7 in league play while Pfeiffer fell to 12-13, 6-9. Barton is home with St. Andrews University at 7:30 p.m. Friday for Senior Night to conclude the regular season, then will hit the road for a tourney game at 7 p.m. Tuesday (opponent to be determined).
Velez made a layup and a jumper to give Barton a quick 4-0 lead. Senior Jaren Haley bombed in a 3-pointer, Velez hit a foul shot, junior Keith Manley scored off a tip-in, senior Aaron Brown swished a basket and Haley hit two free throws for a 14-0 cushion.
The Bulldogs never trailed in the game, but Pfeiffer kept it close throughout. The Falcons rallied within 16-12 at 11:53 with a 12-2 run, but Barton rolled to a 37-30 halftime edge.
A layup by Danny Smith and a jumper by Reggie Hollinger pulled Pfeiffer within 68-67 with less than two minutes left, but the Falcons went 0-for-4 from the floor and committed a turnover in their final five possessions. Meanwhile, Barton junior Jarrett Jernigan drilled a pair of foul shots at 1:02 for a 70-67 lead; Haley hit 2-of-4 foul shots; and Velez slammed home the final points with 12 ticks left off a pass from Jernigan.
Barton claimed a 35-26 edge in rebounding, but was outshot 53.2 percent (25-of-47) to 44.4 percent (28-of-63). The Bulldogs posted a whopping 18-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Junior point guard Gerald Boston had another solid outing for Barton with 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals. Haley and junior Jon Hart both contributed 10 points. Brown notched seven points and a team-best seven boards.
The Falcons were a two-man show. Smith canned a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and Hollinger had 22 points on 9-of-12 accuracy. The rest of the Falcons were just 7-of-21 from the floor.
