Box Score by Benny Benton
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Barton College jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead against nationally-ranked No. 14 University of Mount Olive and held it for nine minutes of the first half, but the Trojans stormed back to score 50 in the period and cruise to an 89-73 Conference Carolinas men's basketball victory Wednesday night at Kornegay Arena.
The league-leading Trojans (21-2, 14-1) shot 56.4 percent from the field after a slow start while holding the Bulldogs (12-10, 8-6) to just 39.7 percent. Mount Olive protected its lead by making 22 of 26 attempts from the free throw line (84.6 percent) on the night.
Dontrell Brite led three players in double-figures for UMO with 24 points and also handed out eight assists. JaQuan Blount added 23 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan McCain tossed in 22 points and eight boards.
Barton, which lost its third straight game, was led by 21 points from freshman Danny Shand, who also had eight rebounds and five assists. Dominique Byrd contributed a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards.
Five points by junior Jake Veasley and four by senior Khari Faison – including a thunderous putback dunk – staked the Bulldogs to their early seven-point advantage. UMO cut the deficit to three, but five straight points from Shand on a 3-pointer and layup gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the night at 19-11 with 11:01 to play in the half.
Barton sank 8-of-17 from the field in reaching that advantage, but would make just 4-of-19 (21 percent) the rest of the half. Mount Olive, meanwhile, went 4-for-13 and turned the ball over six times in the first nine minutes to fall behind, but made 14 of its last 18 attempts (78 percent) from the floor to close out the half.
During an 11-0 Mount Olive run that turned its eight-point deficit into a 22-19 lead, the Trojans made eight straight shots, many of them layups as Barton struggled to matchup defensively.
With their sharp shooting, the Trojans pulled away to a 50-32 halftime cushion, and increased their lead to as many as 21 points with 18 minutes to play.
Still trailing by 17 with 7:21 remaining, Barton used a Daniel Westbrook layup, a pair of free throws by Shand and four points by Faison to go on an 8-0 run and slice the deficit back to single digits at 70-61 with six minutes left.
However, Mike Moore's only four points of the game pushed Mount Olive's lead back into double-digits, where it would remain the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs will attempt to get back into the win column on Saturday when it hosts Southern Wesleyan University in a 7:30 p.m. game as part of Wilson County Schools Night at the Dog House.
