by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College men's and women's basketball teams are looking to rebound from losses last weekend when the Bulldogs travel to Mount Olive, N.C. on Wednesday, February 4, to take on Conference Carolinas foe University of Mount Olive at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
Mount Olive sports information will provide live stats and video for both contests. Women's links: live stats l video Men's links: live stats l video
Barton basketball fans can follow the Bulldogs all season on www.BartonBulldogs.com and via social media including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Lady Bulldogs vs Mount Olive
After a 62-54 road loss to Emmanuel last Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs (9-12, 8-6) will finish their short road trip with a contest against in-state rival Mount Olive. Barton has fallen to sixth in the league standings and Mount Olive ranks seventh overall.
The Trojans are 9-12 overall and 7-8 in league play. Mount Olive has won three of its last four games, including a 70-64 victory over Erskine on January 21 in Due West, S.C.
This will be the first meeting of the 2014-15 season between the rivals, with Mount Olive looking to continue its recent success over Barton. The Trojans defeated the Lady Bulldogs in both matchups last season, winning by an average of 10 points per game.
Mount Olive ranks fifth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 63.6 points per game to opposing teams, while the Trojan offense averages 62.3 points per game and ranks second with 45.2 rebounds. The team is led by sophomore center Arieal Johnson who averages 12.4 points while leading the conference with 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Senior Ty Wallace follows close behind with 11.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks of her own.
Senior guard Kaila Lea continues to pace Barton with 12 points per game and sophomore guard Tiffany Webster averages 10.3 points and a team-high 2.7 assists per game.
Forward Brianna Thomas is the team's third double-digit scorer with 10 points per game while leading the team with 6.8 rebounds, and sophomore Shatisha Duke has risen her game of late, averaging 8.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Lady Bulldogs average 64.3 points per game, while allowing 63.3 points on the defensive end and ranking third in the conference with 10.5 steals per game.
Bulldogs vs Mount Olive
The Barton men's basketball team (12-9, 8-5) has lost its last two games and faces a tough battle when the Bulldogs take the court against nationally-ranked No. 15 University of Mount Olive on Wednesday.
The Trojans currently rank first in Conference Carolinas, boasting a 20-2 overall record with a 13-1 mark in league play, having won their last nine games.
Mount Olive has had a string of recent success against Barton as the Trojans swept both matchups last season.
Barton's offense continues to sit atop Conference Carolinas, scoring 85.8 points per game and pulling down 42.6 rebounds per game. In contrast, the Trojans average 79.2 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor while ranking second in the league in scoring defense, allowing 66 points per contest.
The Bulldog defense will be tasked with stopping a Mount Olive offense with five players averaging double digits, led by junior guard Dontrell Brite with 13.8 points per game and a league-leading six assists per game.
Senior guard Jordan McClain averages 13.2 points of his own on 54.2 percent shooting from the field and 43.3 percent from three-point range, while forward Dominique Reed averages 11.9 points and leads the conference with 2.5 blocks per game. Senior Kendall Hargrove is the Trojans' fourth leading scorer with 10.8 points and leads the league with 8.8 rebounds, and Jaquan Blount averages 10.5 points and 2.2 steals as the team's top perimeter defender.
Barton top scorers are freshman guard Danny Shand (17 points per game, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals) and junior guard Jake Veasley (16 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 40.5 three-point percentage), who place fifth and seventh respectively in the individual points per game rankings within the conference.
Junior Dominique Byrd has increased his season averages to 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while senior Ryan Canoy chips in 8.8 points on 49.4 percent shooting from the floor and 5.3 rebounds of his own.
