Box Score
by Kevin Buczek
AIKEN, S.C.-Gerald Boston scored 34 points including a deep three-point dagger late and freshman Chris Flemmings made five 3-pointers in the second half to lead third-seeded Barton College to an 81-73 victory over sixth-seed University of Montevallo in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional hosted by USC Aiken at the Convocation Center Friday afternoon.
Barton improved to 22-7 overall and will play second-seeded and No. 13 nationally ranked Lincoln Memorial University (25-5) in the semifinals of the Southeast Regional on Sunday at 5 p.m. The Railsplitters advanced to the second round with a dramatic 82-80 victory over seventh-seeded UNC Pembroke in the second game of Friday's quarterfinals.
Boston – the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and Daktronics All-Southeast Region First Team honoree – had the hot hand for the Bulldogs throughout canning 11-of-19 field goals including 4-of-7 three-pointers. Boston's trey from the NCAA logo with 1:54 to go put the designated hosts ahead 75-70 inside the final two minutes.
"I am really proud of the heart and passion that our guys played with starting with Gerald Boston," said Barton veteran head coach Ron Lievense. "Gerald many times willed his team to victory. I was real proud of his passion and emotion for the team. That is what great leaders do and he displayed great leadership in a very adverse and physical game. That is what you want to see in your point guard."
Barton held Montevallo to just 1-of-9 shooting over the final 90 seconds and the Bulldogs converted on six consecutive free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. Senior forward Jon Hart, junior guard Brian McNair and senior guard Aaron Brown all swished a pair of clutch free down the stretch as BC avenged an opening round loss to the Falcons in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Montevallo finished its season at 20-10 overall. The Falcons were the defending Southeast Regional champions and national runner-ups last year.
Lievense added, "Coach Young does an absolutely incredible job with his program at Montevallo. We played them last year and they played for a national title last year. They're a tremendous basketball team with great talent. They played their hearts out and we were fortunate to end up on the positive side of the score but I really commend them on a tremendous season."
The Bulldogs controlled much of the first half, leading by as many as 11 points at 28-17 with 5:07 remaining in the opening stanza. The Falcons (20-10) were able to fight back by way of a 15-3 run to take a 32-31 lead with 1:43 left.
The period finished very tight with Barton taking a 37-36 lead into the break.
Offensive fireworks came from both sides. Boston poured in 24 points for Barton to lead all first-half scorers. Boston was 8-11 from the floor, including two treys, and 6-7 from the line in the half. Peach Belt Conference First Team All-Conference selection Troran Brown put in 15 points of his own to lead Montevallo at the intermission.
Brown gave the Falcons a late two-point lead with his seventh made field goal of the half in the final minute but Boston connected on a three-pointer from the right wing in the final seconds to lift BC to the one-point halftime advantage. Boston commented, "I was able to make shots today. My teammates and coaches put me in great position to get open looks and the ball was able to go in for me."
The second half remained tight until just under nine minutes remaining in the game, when Montevallo took its final lead on a 3-pointer by Brown to put the score at 58-57 with 8:41 remaining.
Barton responded with a 13-2 run over nearly the next three minutes to lead 70-60 with 5:51 left in the game. The Falcons would get as close as two points the rest of the way, but would not be able to catch all the way up.
Boston grabbed an offensive rebound and scored seconds later for the go-ahead basket to put Barton up 59-58. The Bulldogs did not relinquish the lead for the showdowns final eight minutes. Flemmings swished five 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes and his two consecutive treys pushed the Bulldogs cushion to 10 at 70-60.
Montevallo fought back with the next eight points to pull within two before Boston stepped up with the clinching points. Boston made a pair of technical fouls after taking an elbow to the head and then made his NBA-range trifecta to highlight the closing minutes.
"It was a great feeling to finally get the monkey off my back from last year," expressed Boston. "We prepared for this all year and for us to come out and win today was great. Like coach said, it is time to put this game aside and prepare for our next opponent. It is a quick turnaround and we have a great region so it is only going to get tougher from here but we have a great team."
Three Bulldogs would finish with double-figure points, with Boston finishing one point shy of his career high with 34 points. Flemmings would add 15 and Hart chipped in 12. Aaron Brown helped out with nine points and a game-high five assists. Boston corralled a team-high seven rebounds and also made four steals.
Montevallo also had three players finish with double figures. Brown scored 26 to lead the Falcons, and Marvin Fitzgerald added 14. Silas Mills finished the game with a double-double, recording 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Falcons held a 44-20 rebounding margin, and outscored the Bulldogs 38-20 in the paint. However, their 19 turnovers led to a 24-9 points-off-turnovers advantage for the Bulldogs.
Barton finished the game shooting 49.1 percent (26-for-53) from the field. They hit 50 percent (12-for-24) from 3-point range and 85 percent (17-20) from the charity stripe.
Montevallo shot 43.8 percent (28-for-64) from the floor in the game but cooled off from 55% in the first half to just 34% in the second half. UM hit 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from behind the arc and 84.6 percent (11-for-13) from the line.
Barton won the 2007 NCAA Tournament and improved to 12-5 in seven appearances.
Coach Lievense concluded, "There are absolutely great teams here and I really believe a team in this region can win the national title as was obvious with Montevallo almost winning the national title last year. I think this region is incredible. I don't know what the future holds for us tomorrow but hoping our guys will really scout well, prepare well mentally, and most importantly prepare physically because of what they went through today on the floor."
