Box Score by Cory Guinn
GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Bulldogs got back to their winning ways on Saturday night, shooting a season-high 53.3 percent from three-point range en route to a 75-72 road victory over Limestone College at the Timken Center.
Reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Week Jake Veasley led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc while collecting six rebounds. Sophomore Kendall Patterson broke out of a recent scoring slump for 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range as well as totaling six steals and five rebounds of his own.
Limestone and Barton would trade baskets in the early going until Patterson's first three-pointer of the game gave Barton a 10-8 lead at the 17:18 mark in the first half.
The Bulldogs (10-7, 6-3) scored 11 unanswered points over a two-minute stretch to build its lead to 18-8 midway through the first 20 minutes.
The Saints (4-14, 4-6) used five unanswered points of their own to close the gap to 18-13 until a three-pointer from Daniel McClendon put the Bulldogs back ahead by eight points with 13:39 to play in the first half. Limestone got as close as four-points, but a three-pointer from Patterson once again gave the Bulldogs space on the scoreboard.
Eight straight points from the Bulldogs put Barton ahead 39-26 with just over five minutes to play in the half.
Barton carried a 45-33 advantage into intermission after out-rebounding Limestone 24-16, turning the rebounding edge into an 8-0 lead in the second-chance points category.
Four consecutive points by the Saints opened the second half of play before a tip-in from junior Dominique Byrd got the Barton offense back on track early. Limestone's Brolin Floyd tied the game at 49-49 with a three-pointer at the 15:30 mark of the half as the Saints took a two-point lead on a layup from Sommy Ogukwe.
The Limestone lead would not hold as Barton quickly tied the game at 56-56 as sophomore Daniel Westbrook put home a layup with 11:36 to play. Back-to-back layups from Veasley would spark a 9-2 Barton run to give the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish.
A 10-4 run by the Saints over the final 3:35 was not enough as the Bulldogs held on for a Conference Carolinas' victory on the road.
Freshman Danny Shand was the team's second-leading scorer with 15 points, five points and four assists, while senior Ryan Canoy chipped in six points and a game-high eight rebounds in 26 minutes of play.
The Bulldogs will be on the road once again when they travel to Central, S.C. on January 20 for a matchup with Southern Wesleyan University at 7:30 p.m.
