Box Score by Benny Benton
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Barton College sophomore Chris Flemmings recorded his first career double-double, tossing in 14 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds, to lead the Bulldogs in an 84-78 victory over Tusculum College on day two of the Carson-Newman Classic Saturday afternoon.
The 6-5 guard from Cary, N.C., led very balanced scoring for the Bulldogs (2-2), as five different players reached double-figures in the contest, including three non-starters. Junior transfers Khari Faison and Daniel McClendon each scored 13 points, with Faison also collecting seven rebounds and McClendon adding five boards and five assists. Freshmen Kendall Patterson and Travis McEachern each reached double-figures for the first time in their young careers with 11 points.
Barton, which had struggled defensively in its loss to Carson-Newman University on Friday, forced Tusculum (1-3) into 24 turnovers on Saturday. It also held the Pioneers to 78 points, matching a season-low, one night after Tusculum put up 110 points in a regulation-length win over Trevecca Nazarene.
The Bulldogs won despite a poor night at the free throw line, shooting just 47 percent (15 of 32) from the charity stripe.
Barton took control of the contest at the start of the second half. Leading by three at intermission, 45-42, McEachern made a 3-pointer six seconds into the period, igniting a 13-2 run by the Bulldogs.
Barton stretched its lead to as many as 15 points at 63-48 on a Flemmings layup with 12:40 left. Tusculum cut the deficit to eight, and the Bulldogs' lead stayed between seven and nine points for the next several minutes before the Pioneers made a late run.
Trailing 74-66 with 5:37 to go, Tusculum used a 3-pointer by Zach Davis and a pair of technical free throws by Addison Flynn to cut the deficit to just three. The Pioneers had a chance to get even closer on their next possession, but Flynn was called for an offensive foul. Faison made a layup for Barton on the other end of the court, and the Bulldogs were back up five, 76-71.
Tusculum again pulled within three on a layup by Jalen Walker, who led all scorers in the game with 17 points.
However, Barton would get four points on the unusual possession that followed. McClendon was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the line, got his own rebound on the miss and was fouled again. He again made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, and again rebounded his own miss, this time laying it back in to complete a strange four-point play and give the Bulldogs a seven-point cushion at 80-73 with 2:57 left.
The Pioneers got within five on two occasions, but Flemmings made 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the waning seconds to help Barton hold on to the win.
The second half was a stark contrast to the first, in which there were eight ties and nine lead changes.
Tusculum jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead in the game, the last five points coming on a 3-pointer and a layup by Flynn, who had 13 points and a team-high five rebounds in the contest.
However, the Pioneers missed two shots and turned the ball over four times on their next several possessions, and Barton used 3-pointers by Patterson, Flemmings and McEachern to grab an 11-10 advantage.
Throughout the ties and lead changes that followed, neither team held a lead of more than four points.
Barton finally grabbed the lead for good on a McEachern 3-pointer with 2:17 left before intermission that gave the Bulldogs a 39-37 advantage. Barton took a 45-42 lead into halftime, then used another McEachern trey to begin its decisive second-half run.
The Bulldogs will play in another tournament on the road this coming weekend, this one much closer to home. Barton will compete in the 48th Annual Pickle Classic at Mount Olive College, facing Virginia State University at 5 p.m. on Friday and St. Augustine's University at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
